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Apple and Amazon logos: "The markets are tending to monopolize"
Photo: Pavlo Gonchar / picture alliance
In Italy, the tech giants Apple and Amazon are said to have already paid a fine of more than 200 million euros for being too close.
The Bundeskartellamt is now investigating possible anti-competitive agreements between the online retailer and the technology manufacturer for Germany as well.
"We are currently examining, among other things, whether there is a collaboration between Amazon and brand manufacturers such as Apple, which disadvantages third-party retailers," said Andreas Mundt, President of the authorities of the "Rheinische Post".
It is about opening up the market by allowing companies other than Apple to sell devices from the mobile phone company via Amazon's marketplace.
In the case of the Italian decision in November, it was about the sale of products from Apple and Apple's audio technology manufacturer Beats.
According to the authority, the two US companies had agreed that only Amazon and a few selected retailers were allowed to sell Apple and Beats products in Italy.
Mundt was generally combative in dealing with the four large online groups Google, Amazon, Apple and the Facebook parent Meta.
Seven new proceedings were opened against them in 2021 alone.
"We can already see from the stock market values of these corporations what kind of economic power we are dealing with," said the President of the Cartel Office.
“And we know that the big platforms benefit greatly from network effects: Because they are used frequently, the range is large, and because the range is large, new users are added again.
The markets tend to monopolize. "
Mundt wants to improve the position of key witnesses in cartel proceedings
Mundt asked Facebook to enable access to the social network without evaluating data from the messenger service WhatsApp, which is also part of the group, as well as from third-party services. "It must be possible to use the basic functions of Facebook without having to agree to the unlimited use of personal data," he said. "The customer must be free to choose."
The Federal Cartel Office imposed significantly fewer fines in 2021 than in 2020. The total of around 105 million euros last year meant a decrease of around 70 percent compared to the previous year. Mundt also explained the decline in relation to the consequences of the pandemic: "It is not easy to advance proceedings under such conditions that rely on searches of business and private premises or the examination of witnesses to preserve evidence."
Mundt added that fewer companies were willing to unpack through secret agreements in their industry than before.
To ensure that there are more such key witnesses again, they should have more advantages than before: “For those who are the first to unpack, we should not only wholly or largely waive the state punishment.
We should also exempt this company for the most part or entirely from claims for damages. "
apr / AFP
