FTC Case Against Amazon Hinges on ‘Online Superstore’ Label

The Federal Trade Commission’s case against Amazon.com Inc. hinges in part on putting the e-commerce giant in a class of its own: The Online Superstore.

The 172-page case filed Tuesday seeks to differentiate the Seattle-based company from retail competitors that generate most of their sales at physical stores or from more niche-oriented websites. The FTC says these so-called online superstores are different because they offer convenience in their depth of inventory and round-the-clock accessibility.

“This case is ultimately about competition, and competition that has been foregone because of Amazon’s unlawful tactics,” Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan says in response to a question from Bloomberg’s Washington Bureau Chief Peggy Collins about the lawsuit her agency filed against Amazon.com on Tuesday.

Source: Bloomberg

“Brick-and-mortar stores and online stores with a more limited selection are not reasonably interchangeable with online superstores for the same purposes and are thus properly ...