WASHINGTON – Merchant groups are forming a national coalition to campaign for stricter antitrust laws, including measures that could force Amazon.com Inc. to give up some of its lines of activity.
The effort is launched on Tuesday by trade groups representing small hardware stores, office suppliers, bookstores, grocers and others, along with business groups from 12 cities, organizers say. Traders intend to push congressional representatives for stricter antitrust laws and tougher enforcement of existing ones.
The groups, which collectively represent thousands of companies, want federal legislation to prevent the owner of a dominant online marketplace from selling their own products in competition with other sellers, a policy that could effectively separate the retail business of Amazon products from its online market.
Members of the House’s antitrust subcommittee are considering legislation in this regard, as they are assessing changes to the US antitrust law, although no bill has yet been introduced.
Trader groups also want tougher enforcement of competition laws and legal changes that would make it easier for the government to win antitrust lawsuits against large companies.