The antitrust authority of Italy has issued fines of Amazon EUR68.7 million , and Apple EUR134.5 millions for anticompetitive behavior. Both companies are expected to appeal the penalty.
The issue is the agreement signed that was signed between Amazon and Apple in 2018 that permitted only Amazon and selected resellers to offer Apple or Beats items through Amazon Italy. Furthermore, there were restrictions in place for cross-border sales.
The Italian authorities claim that the reduction in competition has led to less price competition and lowered the amount of discounts offered by third party companies. These deals are in violation of EU regulations ( Article 101).
In addition to paying the fine, both companies have to give each retailer that sells authentic Apple or Beats products be allowed access to Amazon.it. Amazon.it market in an equal fashion.
Authorities in antitrust are in Germany and Spain are conducting their own investigation into this.
