Italy's antitrust and competition authority AGCM has confirmed the launch of an investigation into possible anti-competitive cooperation between Apple and Amazon over the sale of Apple products, including headphones from its Beats Electronics subsidiary. In a statement, AGCM said officials had carried out inspections at the Italian offices of both companies after receiving complaints from local retailers claiming they had been prohibited from re-selling products on the online marketplace after legitimately acquiring them.
The probe will ascertain whether the US companies reached an anti-competitive agreement to prevent electronics retailers not included in Apple’s official programme from selling the products. Such a deal could potentially “lower the incentives for efficient competition on the prices of Apple and Beats products” with the resulting “negative effects for consumers and businesses,” added the antitrust authority.
