German regulators on Thursday opened a probe into whether e-commerce giant Amazon was abusing its dominant position to obstruct competition from rival sellers on its online platform.
The Federal Cartel Office said it would look closely at Amazon's business practices after receiving "many complaints" from retailers and manufacturers selling goods through its German website amazon.de.
"Amazon functions as a kind of 'gatekeeper' for customers", Andreas Mundt, head of Germany's Federal Cartel Office, said in a statement.
"Its double role as the largest retailer and largest marketplace has the potential to hinder other sellers on its platform." The probe is the