DC’s antitrust suit against Amazon is back from the dead


An appeals court has revived the District of Columbia’s antitrust case against Amazon, which the District claims illegally drives up prices on rival platforms. In a decision on Thursday, the DC Court of Appeals ruled that the District’s allegations “plausibly suggest” that Amazon already has monopoly power over online marketplaces or is close to achieving it.
Former DC Attorney General Karl Racine filed the antitrust lawsuit against Amazon in 2021, but it was tossed out in court in 2022. The lawsuit alleges Amazon engages in anticompetitive behavior by restricting third-party sellers from offering products on other online stores, including their own websites, for less than they charge on Amazon — effectively controlling the price of goods outside of its own platform.
Though Amazon retracted a policy that required sellers to offer products at the lowest prices on its online marketplace in 2019, the lawsuit argues that Amazon’s Fair Pricing Policy amounts to “an effectively identical substitute.”
Amazon, unsurprisingly, doesn’t agree with the Court’s decision to bring back the case. “Just like any store owner who wouldn’t want to promote a bad deal to their customers, we don’t highlight or promote offers that are not competitively priced,” Amazon spokesperson Tim Doyle says in a statement to The Verge. “It’s part of our commitment to featuring low prices to earn and maintain customer trust, which we believe is the right decision for both consumers and sellers in the long run.”
Amazon is also facing antitrust scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission, which filed a massive lawsuit against Amazon over claims its monopoly power stifles competition and harms consumers.
An appeals court has revived the District of Columbia’s antitrust case against Amazon, which the District claims illegally drives up prices on rival platforms. In a decision on Thursday, the DC Court of Appeals ruled that the District’s allegations “plausibly suggest” that Amazon already has monopoly power over online marketplaces…
Recent Posts
- Apple TV+ releases a gritty new crime drama trailer for Dope Thief that looks like a stylish version of The Wire
- The women who made America’s microchips and the children who paid for it
- Chinese hackers abuse Microsoft tool to get past antivirus and cause havoc
- Your Earbuds Are Gross. Here’s How to Clean Them Properly
- This smart video lock unlocks with a wave of your hand
Archives
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- September 2018
- October 2017
- December 2011
- August 2010