Amazon Accuses US Antitrust Bill for Unfairly Targeting the Retailer

Amazon.com on Wednesday lambasted a invoice in Congress barring tech giants from giving choice to their very own companies on their web sites, saying it unfairly singles the retailer out whereas not subjecting rivals to comparable laws.

The Senate may vote on the invoice as early as this month, media retailers have reported. The measure handed the Senate Judiciary Committee in January, regardless of hefty lobbying from high executives like Apple chief govt Tim Cook. It additionally handed the House Judiciary Committee final 12 months.

Amazon said in a weblog submit that the invoice “jeopardizes two of the things American consumers love most about Amazon: the vast selection and low prices made possible by opening our store to third-party selling partners, and the promise of fast, free shipping through Amazon Prime.”

It argued the invoice solely targets one retailer, Amazon, by requiring a market worth of at the very least $550 billion (roughly Rs. 42,63,100 crore) to qualify for regulation and that rivals like Walmart, Target and CVS have been excluded.

“In 2021, Walmart had annual revenues of $559 billion (roughly Rs. 43,32,800 crore), nearly $90 billion (roughly Rs. 6,97,599 crore) more than Amazon,” it added. “But Walmart is excluded despite also being a large retailer that allows small businesses to sell in its online marketplace.”

Senators Amy Klobuchar and Chuck Grassley, who co-sponsored the measure referred to as the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, say the measure is critical to guard small companies. The invoice has obtained the backing of small enterprise teams such because the Main Street Alliance and Small Business Rising.

Amazon argued the invoice may hurt the lots of of 1000’s of small companies that promote items on its web site as its massive fines for violations “would make it difficult to justify the risk of Amazon offering a marketplace in which selling partners can participate.”

It mentioned the invoice would mandate “Amazon allow other logistics providers to fulfill Prime orders” and will make it “potentially impossible in practice, for Amazon and our selling partners to offer products with Prime’s” free two-day transport.

Big tech companies together with Meta Platforms’ Facebook and Apple, have been below stress in Congress amid allegations they’ve abused their outsized market energy. A protracted listing of payments have been proposed to rein them in, however none have change into legislation.

© Thomson Reuters 2022