WASHINGTON – Merchant groups form a national coalition to campaign for stricter antitrust laws, including measures that could force Amazon.com Inc. to separate some of its lines of business.
The effort is launched on Tuesday by trade groups representing small hardware stores, office suppliers, booksellers, grocers and others, along with business groups from 12 cities, according to organizers. Traders plan to push their representatives in Congress to get stricter antitrust laws and enforce antitrust laws.
The groups, which collectively represent thousands of businesses, want federal legislation that prevents the owner of a dominant online marketplace from selling their own products in competition with other vendors, a policy that can effectively separate the retail business. of Amazon from its online marketplace.
Members of the House Antitrust Subcommittee are considering legislation along these lines, as they weigh changes to U.S. antitrust law, although no bill has yet been introduced.
Trader groups also want to enforce competition laws and make legal changes that make it easier for the government to win antitrust lawsuits against large companies.