Amazon faces heat from CCI which wants more details on antitrust complain

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has sought more details on the new antitrust complaint against Amazon India filed by a representative of Aiova, a group of small online sellers. The complaint admitted by CCI in August, Amazon India of anti-competitive practices like preferential treatment to select sellers like Cloudtail and Amazon Retail, where it holds equity stakes.

As per Economic Times, CCI sought additional details last month but the matter hasn’t been reported before. This could add to Amazon India’s regulatory woes in India at a time when the government has also asked the Enforcement Directorate and Reserve Bank to investigate allegations of FDI violation by e-commerce firms Amazon India and Flipkart.

CCI has asked for details on two main fronts -- how exactly certain large sellers are being given preferential treatment, and the effect of Amazon’s private labels being sold on its marketplace. Over the last two years, online platforms have started entering product segments with their own brands that compete against third-party products.