DC’s antitrust suit against Amazon is back from the dead

An appeals tribunal has revived the District of Columbia’s antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, which the District claims illegally drives up prices connected rival platforms. In a determination connected Thursday, the DC Court of Appeals ruled that the District’s allegations “plausibly suggest” that Amazon already has monopoly powerfulness implicit online marketplaces oregon is adjacent to achieving it.

Former DC Attorney General Karl Racine filed the antitrust suit against Amazon successful 2021, but it was tossed retired successful tribunal successful 2022. The suit alleges Amazon engages successful anticompetitive behaviour by restricting third-party sellers from offering products connected different online stores, including their ain websites, for little than they complaint connected Amazon — efficaciously controlling the terms of goods extracurricular of its ain platform.

Though Amazon retracted a argumentation that required sellers to connection products astatine the lowest prices connected its online marketplace successful 2019, the suit argues that Amazon’s Fair Pricing Policy amounts to “an efficaciously identical substitute.”

Amazon, unsurprisingly, doesn’t hold with the Court’s determination to bring backmost the case. “Just similar immoderate store proprietor who wouldn’t privation to beforehand a atrocious woody to their customers, we don’t item oregon beforehand offers that are not competitively priced,” Amazon spokesperson Tim Doyle says successful a connection to The Verge. “It’s portion of our committedness to featuring debased prices to gain and support lawsuit trust, which we judge is the close determination for some consumers and sellers successful the agelong run.”

Amazon is besides facing antitrust scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission, which filed a monolithic suit against Amazon implicit claims its monopoly powerfulness stifles contention and harms consumers.