Italian regulators fine Amazon $1.3 billion for violating competition rules

Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Italian regulators on Thursday ordered retail giant Amazon to pay more than $1 billion for violating European Union antitrust rules, which is one of the largest fines ever imposed against the company in Europe.

The AGCM, Italy's antitrust regulator, said Amazon breached EU rules by exploiting its dominant market position to outperform independent sellers on its website.

Specifically, regulators said, Amazon required third-party sellers to use its logistics service, called "Fulfilled by Amazon," to the detriment of competitors.

Officials noted that Amazon also denies vendors access to its Prime loyalty program, saying it has an anti-competitive impact.

For the purported violations, the AGCM fined Amazon nearly $1.3 billion.

Amazon responded by saying that it "profoundly" disagreed with the penalty, which it called "unjustified and disproportionate." The company said it would appeal.

The AGCM fined Apple and Amazon $230 million last month after finding that Amazon resold certain Apple products and blocked other resellers.