Amazon Gains Partial Dismissal in FTC Antitrust Case

A federal judge in Seattle has granted Amazon a partial dismissal of the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) antitrust lawsuit, which alleges the company uses anti-competitive practices to dominate the e-commerce market. U.S. District Judge John Chun's sealed ruling allows the FTC to pursue claims not dismissed and splits the trial into two phases: determining Amazon's liability and, if found liable, deciding on remedies. The FTC's complaint includes allegations of a scheme called 'Project Nessie' to manipulate prices and compel sellers to use Amazon's logistics service. Amazon argues its practices benefit consumers and are standard in the industry. Both sides have two weeks to propose redactions to the ruling before it becomes public.