France files complaint against Amazon for abuse of dominant position

The French government has filed a complaint with the Paris Commerce Court against e-commerce company Amazon for abusing its dominant position with some suppliers, newspaper Le Parsien said on Monday.

Under the complaint, which follows a two-year investigation by the DGCCRF consumer fraud watchdog, the Economy Ministry is seeking a fine of 10 million euros ($11.8 million) against Amazon, the newspaper said.

“The platform imposes unbalanced relations to its vendors,” DGCCRF official Loic Tanguy told Le Parisien.
Amazon can for instance unilaterally change contract terms or even suspend contracts it has with the more than 10,000 French companies using its platform to sell their goods, the newspaper said.

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An Economy Ministry official confirmed a complaint had been filed against Amazon but did not provide further details.

A spokesman for Amazon said the company does not comment on legal procedures.

($1 = 0.8491 euros)