Italy fined Amazon and Apple $225 million for anti-competitive cooperation of sales of Apple and Beats products, violating European Union laws.
An agreement between the two companies in 2018 allegedly limited access to Italy’s Amazon marketplace by allowing their products only to be sold through specific resellers, according to the Italian Competition Authority. Amazon and Apple dispute the judgments and plan to appeal the fines.
“We reject the suggestion that Amazon benefits by excluding sellers from our store, since our business model relies on their success,” an Amazon spokesperson told Reuters in a statement. “As a result of the agreement, Italian customers can find the latest Apple and Beats products on our store, benefiting from a catalogue that more than doubled, with better deals and faster shipping.”
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Apple said that though it respects Italy’s Competition Authority, using approved resellers ensures that customers are receiving legitimate Apple products.
“Non-genuine products deliver an inferior experience and can often be dangerous,” Apple said, according to Reuters. “To ensure our customers purchase genuine products, we work closely with our reseller partners and have dedicated teams of experts around the world who work with law enforcement, customs and merchants to ensure only genuine Apple products are being sold.”
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Out of the $225 million fine, Apple was fined $151.32 million, and Amazon was fined $77.29 million. The authorities also ordered them to end the restrictions.
