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Japan: JFTC Manipulation of search results violates antitrust law

By  |  October 31, 2019

The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) announced in a survey report that the practice of online shopping site operators prioritizing products of the firm or its affiliates in users’ search results could be in violation of the antimonopoly law.

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    The antitrust watchdog will notify shopping site operators of the potential violation in order to promote the development of fair competitive environments, reported the Japan Times. 

    The JFTC survey on online shopping and smartphone app sales was part of government efforts to toughen regulations on information technology giants.

    The government plans to submit a bill to promote transparency in transactions involving information technology giants to next year’s ordinary session of the Diet. The JFTC survey results will be reflected in the bill.

    Full Content: Japan Times

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