The Federal Trade Commission and 17 state attorneys general are suing Amazon after accusing the e-commerce giant of unlawfully exploiting its monopoly to jack up prices and stifle competition.
The FTC said in a statement that Amazon’s alleged anti-competitive practices prevent sellers from lowering prices, degrades quality for shoppers and unlawfully excludes rivals in a statement on Tuesday.
“Amazon is a monopolist and it is exploiting its monopolies in ways that leave shoppers and sellers paying more for worse service,” FTC Chair Lina Khan told reporters on Tuesday.
The long-awaited lawsuit filed in the Western District of Washington comes after a years-long investigation into Amazon’s practices.
The FTC and a group of bipartisan state officials are asking the court to issue a permanent injunction that they say would prohibit Amazon from engaging in its unlawful conduct and loosen its “monopolistic control to restore competition.”
The agency
More to come