The Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust case against Amazon is moving forward, although its future may be somewhat uncertain.
The FTC, along with 17 states, sued Amazon last year for alleged antitrust violations. The agency accused Amazon of using “punitive and coercive tactics to unlawfully maintain its monopolies.”
As the case has been making its way through pre-trial motions, US District Judge John Chun has already dismissed some of the claims, including those brought by some of the states involved in the action. According to Reuters, Amazon was trying to convince Judge Chun to dismiss the entire case, saying the FTC had not provided any evidence showing Amazon has harmed consumers.
Interestingly, while Judge Chun did not dismiss the case, he did say it was too early in the process to consider Amazon’s position that it has benefited competition, seemingly leaving the door open that he could come to that conclusion later on.
With the FTC already facing dismissal of some of its claims, there is the distinct possibility that its case may be on shakier ground that it would like.
The FTC, under chair Lina Khan, has faced ongoing criticism for some of its decisions. The agency does not have a good track record of regulatory enforcement, losing a number of efforts to block high-profile mergers and acquisitions within the tech industry.
If the FTC loses its case against Amazon, it could spell for trouble for US regulatory efforts.
from WebProNews https://ift.tt/rfEcw94
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