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Germany: Amazon reaches deal to end antitrust investigation

By  |  July 17, 2019

Amazon struck a deal with Germany and Austria to shut down antitrust probes into how it handles other merchants on its site, just as it faces a bigger European Union investigation into its use of sellers’ data, reported Bloomberg.

The US retail giant will change its business services agreement worldwide in mid-August to address a number of complaints from sellers, the German Federal Cartel Office announced in an emailed statement on Wednesday, July 17.

“We have obtained far-reaching improvements for sellers active on Amazon marketplaces worldwide,” Andreas Mundt, president of the German regulator, said in the statement. “The proceedings are now terminated.”

Amazon’s troubles in Europe are only just beginning even as those two probes end. The company faces a full-blown EU antitrust investigation that could be announced as soon as this week. That probe targets Amazon’s online business model as a host to many smaller retailers in an inquiry that could also affect other tech giants.

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