Spain accuses Apple and Amazon of online sales collusion
The Spanish regulator, i.e. Comision Nacional De Los Mercados Y La Competencia (CNMC), announced a few hours ago the opening of an investigation into a possible collusion between Apple and Amazon on online sales. In other words, the Spanish authorities suspect Apple and Amazon of having arranged to largely promote the sale of Apple products on the Amazon store, and at the same time penalize other e-commerce stores.
The investigation will not be limited only to the “sales” part and will also examine how this agreement could strengthen Amazon’s position in the marketing services offered to third-party resellers. The CNMC has given itself 18 months to conclude this investigation, which leaves a lot of time for the legal teams of Apple and Amazon to prepare their response.
Remember that in Spain, but also in France, England, Germany, India, Italy, or even in Japan, a number of Apple products are available for sale at the same time on the Apple and Amazon sites, and no go elsewhere. This “Amazon” preference is the result of a deal between Apple and the online sales giant, deal that the CNMC now considers anti-competitive. Finally, it should be noted that two similar surveys were launched in Italy and the United States.
