The European Union's anti-trust watchdog opened a formal investigation on Thursday into Amazon's e-book distribution, in the latest Brussels inquiry to target the US-based Internet retailer. The European Commission, the EU executive's arm, is probing clauses Amazon has with publishers which may shield the company from competitors, including an obligation to be informed of more favourable terms being offered by rivals.
Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement that the inquiry did not call into question Amazon's "successful business" offering customers goods such as e-books. "However, it is my duty to make sure that Amazon's arrangements with publishers are not harmful to consumers by preventing other e-book distributors from innovating and competing effectively with Amazon," Vestager said in a statement.
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