New unsealed records reveal Amazon's price-fixing tactics, California AG claims(www.theguardian.com)
71 pointsby kmfrk2 hours ago6 comments
  • fmajid2 hours ago
    At this point, Antitrust law is no longer the right statute for prosecution.

    RICO is.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racketeer_Influenced_and_Corru...

    • cucumber37328425 minutes ago
      That would be like showing up to the battle of Kursk in an M18. Might go well for the first minute, you might score some big flashy wins, but....ugh... it's an ill advised strategy.

      Rico as written walks right up to the limit of constitutionality in a dozen ways. It's never really been thrown into a knock down drag out legal action between titans on equal footing (i.e. a bigco legal team, potentially helped by other bigcos). It might survive nominally but it probably won't be in serviceable at the other end.

      I say go for it. Heads I win. Tails you get RICO reform.

    • 113an hour ago
      Seems like that's just for protesters.
    • add-sub-mul-divan hour ago
      Anything trying to protect consumer rights at the federal level risks getting shut down during a future Republican administration.
  • lelandfean hour ago
    If you've ever seen those "Click To Reveal Price" or "Price Only Revealed At Checkout" products online, this here is one reason why. They help businesses keep discounted prices hidden from Amazon's crawlers.
    • fg13712 minutes ago
      Is it effective, like, at all?
  • trollbridge2 hours ago
    Amazon would be smart to settle with no admission of wrongdoing and an agreement to seal documents lest every other state end up following suit.
    • ikidd44 minutes ago
      The documents can be subpoenaed for a new proceeding from the source.
  • SilverElfin18 minutes ago
    We need all new antitrust laws. The size of these companies is itself a problem. They have so much power that there is no possibility for fair competition. Maybe we can start by taxing companies that are worth more than 1 trillion at an extremely high rate.
  • worik2 hours ago
    Unsurprising

    Did Amazon think they were too big to convict?

    I wonder if they will meet the fate of Standard Oil, back in the day.

    • fmajidan hour ago
      No, Antitrust law was effectively neutered by the Chicago School and their agent Robert Bork.

      https://www.theamericanconservative.com/robert-borks-america...

      (BTW that source is right-wing and can hardly be said to be biased against Bork).

      • vondur32 minutes ago
        That's fascinating. Bork was denied being on the supreme court but his ideas shaped current antitrust laws. It feels a bit like the old Standard Oil argument: It's ok to have a huge market share so long as pricing for goods gets cheaper even if it hurts competition overall. *edited* for grammar.
  • jshzglr14 minutes ago
    Online marketplaces seem to be functioning about as well as anything I can think of. How about you prosecute the individuals smoking fentanyl on the streets, the shoplifters, and the homeless trashing every corner and crevice of major cities.