Connecticut is investigating Amazon’s practices in the e-books market.
Connecticut’s prime legislation enforcement official stated on Wednesday that he was conducting an antitrust investigation into how Amazon runs its e-books enterprise.
William Tong, Connecticut’s lawyer basic, stated in an announcement that the state “has an active and ongoing antitrust investigation into Amazon regarding potentially anticompetitive terms” in the distribution agreements the firm has for digital books with some publishers.
The investigation is the newest antitrust inquiry into Amazon to be publicly revealed. Officials in California and Washington have scrutinized how the firm treats the impartial retailers who use its market. The Federal Trade Commission additionally has its personal inquiry into the firm, which critics say has grown right into a dominant on-line retailer by crushing smaller rivals.
A spokesman for Amazon declined to remark. The inquiry was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal.
Amazon acquired its begin promoting books in the 1990s. It launched its Kindle e-books reader in 2007. The business quickly attracted regulatory attention. In 2012, the Department of Justice sued Apple, saying it had conspired with major publishers to raise the price of e-books beyond the $9.99 that Amazon charged.
Connecticut was among the states that filed their own lawsuit against Apple. Mr. Tong, a Democrat, said in his statement that his office “continues to aggressively monitor this market to protect fair competition for consumers, authors and other e-book retailers.”
