The European Commission has sent a questionnaire to sellers who list their goods on Amazon, asking whether Amazon copies their products. Amazon has many of its own brands and may misuse data from other sellers.
According to Bloomberg, a 16-page questionnaire has been sent to sellers on Amazon and they are expected to return the completed list by October 9. The list is likely part of the preliminary investigation that the European Commission has launched into Amazon.
Using the list, the researchers ask sellers whether Amazon has in recent years started selling products under its own brand names that are identical or very similar to the products that the sellers themselves offer on Amazon. The European Commission also wants to know what the influence of such copying behavior is on the financial results of the sellers.
The EU is also asking for hard evidence such as correspondence with Amazon and exact dates when Amazon started selling competing products under its own name. The researchers also want to know whether the sellers use software, for example to optimize sales, provided by Amazon.
The European Commission has not yet issued any concrete charges against Amazon, but is investigating whether the online department store is using data from sellers on its platform fairly. Because Amazon allows other sellers and has all kinds of data about what sells well or not, the company could adjust its own product range accordingly.
In addition to well-known products such as Alexa speakers and Fire tablets, Amazon has many other brands in various categories. Amazon now has 126 brands of its own, according to a list by TJI Research.