According to The Wall Street Journal, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia threw out the Attorney General's complaint against Amazon. In June of last year, the office of Racine alleged that Amazon had used a variety of contract provisions to prevent third-party sellers from offering their wares for less elsewhere.
We believe that the Superior Court did not consider the full scope of the anticompetitive agreements, the detailed allegations in the complaint, and the recent decision of a federal court to allow a nearly identical lawsuit to be filed.
Amazon's Fair Pricing Policy was at the center of the suit. The company stopped telling third-party sellers they couldn't offer their wares at lower prices on competing marketplaces in 2019. Amazon added a similar clause under its pricing policy, according to the complaint. The guidelines allow the company to impose sanctions on merchants who sell their products for less money.
Amazon argued that many retailers have pricing restrictions in their contracts. The AG wants to force Amazon to feature higher prices for customers, which is against the objectives of antitrust law.
The office is considering its legal options and will continue to fight to hold Amazon accountable for using its power unfairly.
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