Germany Orders Amazon to Halt Price Controls, Refund €59 Million for Unfair Gains

• Germany's Federal Cartel Office ordered Amazon to stop implementing price controls for third-party retailers on its marketplace.
• Amazon must refund 59 million euros ($70 million) in what the watchdog deemed unfair gains from anti-competitive behavior.
• The cartel office stated that Amazon's price review mechanisms for third-party sellers were based on "non-transparent rules."
• Andreas Mundt, president of the cartel office, highlighted Amazon's direct competition with marketplace sellers and the impermissibility of influencing their pricing.
• Amazon plans to appeal the decision, calling it "unprecedented" and arguing it contradicts EU competition law and harms customers.