This is a rundown of last week’s news updates on Antitrust:
Allegations of Amazon India’s anticompetitive practices sparks demand for US antitrust probe
Ecommerce giant Amazon is accused of manipulating search results to boost its own product lines. Thousands of pages of internal Amazon documents show the company ran a systematic campaign. The Confederation of All India Traders, a group representing India’s brick-and-mortar retailers, called for a government investigation of Amazon. An exposé by Reuters has shown how the business copied products and manipulated websites in India. Legislators in the US are planning to introduce a bill that would prevent Big Tech platforms from favouring their own products and services over competitors’ offerings.
EU pulp producers under the threat of an antitrust probe axe
Several wood pulp companies in Europe were subjected to inspections by the European Commission. These inspections are an attempt to determine whether wood pulp producers have engaged in criminal activity by engaging in cartel behaviour or anticompetitive practices. The companies targeted hold approximately four per cent of the global pulp market. The intent of the inspection is to find evidence of price co-operation, through e-mails, meeting memos or internal memos.
Chinese antitrust bureau to be revamped and accorded new status
China intends to revamp the antitrust bureau and rename it the National Antimonopoly Bureau, as the country looks to clamp down on monopolistic behaviour, with a special eye on online platforms. The National Antimonopoly Bureau will be accorded a deputy-ministerial status, but would still come under State Administration for Market Regulation. This elevated status is said to assist regulators in obtaining necessary resources for examining mergers and acquisitions.
Authored by Rohan Joshua Jacob (Associate) and Shabarna Choudhury (Intern).
