Overview
- The Bundeskartellamt prohibited Amazon from routinely using algorithmic price-control mechanisms on its German Marketplace, allowing them only in narrow cases such as price gouging.
- Regulators said Amazon’s tools could delist offers or exclude them from the Buy Box when prices were deemed too high, which can cause significant revenue losses for third‑party sellers.
- The authority ordered a provisional disgorgement of about €59 million under a 2023 legal change that enables recovery of gains from unlawful conduct.
- Amazon rejects the decision and will challenge it at the BGH, arguing the ruling conflicts with EU competition standards, while the authority says it coordinated with the European Commission.
- The watchdog cites Amazon’s dominant position in German online retail and characterizes the infringement as ongoing, leaving open the possibility of further measures.