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EU opens antitrust probe into Amazon e-book distribution
2015-06-11 15:43:00| Telecompaper Headlines
(Telecompaper) The European Commission (EC) has opened a formal antitrust investigation into certain business practices by Amazon in the distribution of e-books. The EC will in particular investigate certain clauses included in Amazon's contracts which require publishers to ensure that Amazon is offered terms at least as good as its competitors. The EC said it will investigate whether such clauses may limit competition between different e-book distributors and may reduce choice for consumers. If confirmed, such behaviour could violate EU antitrust rules that prohibit abuses of a dominant market position and restrictive business practices. Amazon is currently the largest distributor of e-books in Europe. Initially, the investigation will focus on the largest markets for e-books in the European Economic Area, namely e-books in English and German. Separately the Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon said it was confident that its contract with publishers were legal and in readers' best interests, adding that it would cooperate with the investigation fully.
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Category:Telecommunications