Amazon offers to share data, boost rivals to dodge EU antitrust fines

BRUSSELS, June 13 (Reuters): Amazon has offered to share marketplace data with sellers and boost the visibility of rival products on its platform, trying to persuade EU antitrust regulators to close their investigations without a fine by the end of the year, people familiar with the matter said.
The world's largest online retailer is hoping its concessions will stave off a potential European Union fine that could be as much as 10 per cent of its global turnover, Reuters reported last year.
The European Commission in 2020 charged Amazon with using its size, power and data to push its own products and gain an unfair advantage over rival merchants that sell on its online platform.
It also launched an investigation into Amazon's possible preferential treatment of its own retail offers and those of marketplace sellers that use its logistics and delivery services.
Amazon's process for choosing which retailer appears in the "buy box" on its website and which generates the bulk of its sales also came under the spotlight.
Amazon has now proposed to allow sellers access to some marketplace data while its commercial arm will not be able to use seller data collected by its retail unit, the people said.
The company will also create a second buy box for rival products in the event an Amazon product appears in the first buy box, the people said.
The EU competition enforcer is expected to seek feedback from rivals and users in the coming weeks, which could lead to tweaks in the proposal and a final decision by the end of the year, the people said.
The Commission and Amazon declined to comment. The company had previously said it disagreed with the watchdog's assertions and that it represents less than 1 per cent of the global retail market.
Meanwhile, An Indian appeals tribunal on Monday rejected Amazon.com Inc's appeal against an antitrust suspension of its $200 million investment deal with Future Group, saying the US company concealed information when it sought approval in 2019.
India's antitrust agency issued the suspension in December, stating that Amazon suppressed the actual scope of the 2019 investment and made false and incorrect statements. Amazon challenged the decision, arguing that it had not concealed information.
Dismissing Amazon's plea on Monday, a two-judge panel at the Indian tribunal said it held Amazon accountable "for its failure to provide relevant information on the combination".
"(The) tribunal is in complete agreement" with the antitrust body's view of suspending the 2019 deal, it added.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Indian tribunal also upheld a penalty of around 2 billion rupees ($26 million) imposed against Amazon by the antitrust body in December, asking it to be deposited within 45 days.
The 2019 Amazon-Future deal was followed by a series of legal disputes. The US firm cited the terms of the 2019 deal when it took legal action a year later to block Future's attempt to sell assets to Reliance Industries, an Amazon rival in India, for $3.4 billion.