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BRUSSELS, Belgium — European Union antitrust watchdogs warned they may probe online sales curbs after finding that manufacturers across the bloc impose limits on how websites sell and how much they can charge.
"It may become necessary for the commission to scrutinise certain clauses restricting online sales," European Union antitrust regulators said in its first report from an investigation into web sales.
More than two in five retailers face some sort of price recommendation or restriction from manufacturers, the European Commission said. Online sites can also be stopped from selling on online marketplaces, such as those run by Amazon.com Inc. or EBay Inc., or prevented from sending offers to price comparison websites, according to the report.
The digital economy is a focus for EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, who is investigating Alphabet Inc.’s Google over an online shopping search tool, phone software and advertising. She is probing Hollywood studios over restrictive contracts with pay-TV provider Sky Plc that may block sales outside the UK and has also cited concerns over how companies increasingly collect and use vast amounts of data.
By Aoife White; editors: Anthony Aarons and Peter Chapman.
