Italy’s antitrust regulator has just opened an investigation against Apple and Amazon, to decide whether the two has practised an anti-competitive practice. The regulator blamed the companies of barring legitimate resellers to buy Apple and Beats devices to retailers, for not being a part of Apple’s official program.
Italian Regulator Investigate Apple and Amazon
Apart from European countries being strict on data privacy of its users, they’re also actively looking for any fraud practises stopping. In such pursuit, the Italian antitrust regulator, the L’Autorit Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato has released a press statement that, it has opened an investigation against Amazon and Apple to learn more about their alleged anti-competitive practises.
Both the American companies are alleged of disallowing local resellers, who’re legitimate but didn’t roll in for Apple’s official reseller program, to resell Apple and Beats devices from wholesalers to retailers. The now investigation is directed as per article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and may attract hefty fines for both Apple and Amazon if the allegations are proved.
The authority worried that Apple and Amazon entering into such agreement would “reduce competition due to the raising of barriers to the outlet of online sales markets to the detriment of unofficial retailers.” These middlemen are mostly the small and medium-sized enterprises who resell precise sales through their online. websites.
This could lead to reduced competition and ultimately spoil the consumers and businesses. Thus, the regulator has now been investigating the case to ascertain this allegation. Officials of the regulator have also inspected the offices of Apple and Amazon earlier regarding this case. Apple has previously penalised by the same regulator for about 10 million euros for intentional battery slowdowns!
