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EU: E-commerce companies face antitrust probe

By  |  March 26, 2015

The European Commission plans a competition inquiry into cross-border trading by companies such as Amazon.com.

The inquiry, proposed by Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager on Thursday, will focus on possible restrictions on cross-border purchases, by which companies prevent people from buying goods in other European Union countries. One of the founding principles of the EU is the free movement of goods.

Technical barriers such as geoblocking as well as distribution contracts hampering the cross border sale of goods and digital content will be a primary focus of the inquiry, Vestager said in a speech delivered in Berlin on Thursday. She plans to send questionnaires to a large number of firms in every EU country, including merchants of online goods, companies running online market places and price comparison sites, broadcasters, manufacturers and content rights holders.

 

Full Content: The Wall Street Journal

 

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