U.K. Publishers Call for Amazon Antitrust Inquiry

Shelf Awareness

The Publishers Association is calling for a competition inquiry into Amazon's dominance, saying that the U.K.'s retail book market "suffers from a chronic and debilitating imbalance for authors, publishers and booksellers." The Financial Times reported that the "call for the government to set up an independent inquiry is designed to avoid allegations that publishers are acting anti-competitively."

"We can see what's going on with disputes in the U.S. and Germany," said PA CEO Richard Mollet, adding that an inquiry by the Competition and Markets Authority would provide "independent, forensic analysis" of Amazon's behavior. "This is a genuine appeal for information. It would be disappointing if this were interpreted as an act of aggression."

Noting "routes to market for e-books are too narrow and too few," the PA added that "the online market for print books is similarly restricted... ultimately restricting consumers' choice of retail opportunities."