July 12, 2023
Amazon has filed a lawsuit against the European Union (EU) challenging its designation as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP). The company argues that it does not meet the definition of a VLOP because it is primarily a retailer, not an advertising platform.
Amazon filed a petition in Luxembourg’s General Court arguing it should not be designated as one of the 17 “very large online platforms,” or VLOPs, under the EU’s Digital Services Act, which imposes stricter rules around policing illegal material on their platforms. Fellow U.S. tech giants Google, Meta and Apple are also subject to the rules.
The EU’s VLOP designation comes with a number of requirements, including the need to take steps to prevent the spread of illegal content and to protect users from harmful products. Amazon argues that these requirements are not necessary for a company like itself, which already has robust systems in place to protect its users.
The company also argues that the EU’s VLOP designation is unfair, as it singles out Amazon while other large retailers in the EU have not been designated as VLOPs. Amazon said it is not the largest retailer in any of the EU countries where it operates and bigger rivals in these countries have not been designated as VLOPs and asked the General Court to annul its designation.
The EU has not yet responded to Amazon’s lawsuit.
The sources for this piece include an article in TheRegister.
