Puerto Rico Joins Lawsuit Against Amazon for Anticompetitive Practices
Puerto Rico will be part of the lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 17 other jurisdictions in the United States against the sales portal Amazon. The lawsuit alleges that Amazon has engaged in illegal tactics to maintain its monopoly power in the markets, affecting sellers and consumers.
According to Guarionex Díaz Martínez, assistant secretary of the Office of Monopolistic Affairs, Amazon has been accused of engaging in anticompetitive practices by establishing requirements for its sellers. For example, Amazon prohibits sellers from offering cheaper prices on other platforms, penalizing them if they do so.
The lawsuit also argues that Amazon no longer displays products in search results organically but favors sponsored products, making it difficult for consumers to find competitive prices. Additionally, Amazon has been accused of increasing fees for sellers, leading to higher prices for consumers.
Puerto Rico’s involvement in the lawsuit is due to the impact Amazon’s practices have on businesses, consumers, and the government in Puerto Rico. The lawsuit demands that Amazon stop these anticompetitive practices.
On a separate note, Puerto Rico was also part of a case against Google, which agreed to pay $700 million and make changes to its Android app download platform, Google Play, as a solution to an antitrust lawsuit. The distribution of this settlement money to Puerto Rican consumers is still unknown.
Overall, Puerto Rico’s participation in these lawsuits is part of a larger effort to protect consumers and businesses from the abuses of market dominance by major companies.