The Spanish competition authority is looking into possible anticompetitive practices by U.S. tech behemoths Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc. in online sales of electronic products and marketing services to third-party retailers, adding to a wave of antitrust investigations against tech companies in Europe.
Spain's CNMC said Thursday that it has launched disciplinary
proceedings against the companies for possible practices including trade
restrictions on the Amazon website in Spain for retail sales of Apple products
by third parties and some advertising of competing Apple products.
"The investigated behaviors could be restricting
competition in the sectors of the internet sale of electronic products, and the
provision of marketing services to third party retailers through online
platforms (Marketplace) in Spain," the watchdog said.
The authority now has 18 months to carry out the
investigation.
Amazon said that it will fully cooperate with the authority
in its investigation. Apple in Spain didn't reply to a request for comment.
This is the latest antitrust probe involving U.S. tech
companies in Europe. Regulators in the European Union and the U.K. have
launched investigations into Facebook Inc.'s Marketplace classified-ads
business, while Brussels has also brought antitrust charges against Amazon and
Apple.
Alphabet Inc.'s Google has recently settled a dispute in
France and is facing several cases in the region.