Italian Court Fines Amazon 10 Million Euros Over Allegedly Unfair Business Practices

Two Amazon subsidiaries were fined 10 million euros ($10.70 million) by Italy’s antitrust authorities on Wednesday for what the regulator claimed were unfair business practices. The punishment was announced in Milan.

The regulator claims that Amazon has “significantly restricted consumers freedom of choice” by pre-selecting the ‘Subscribe&Save’ option for many items, ensuring that they would be delivered on a monthly basis instead of being purchased one-time.

“The pre-ticking of recurring purchase induces one to periodically buy a product – even without the effective need – thus limiting one’s freedom of choice,” a statement issued by the antitrust agency said.