Amazon has achieved a significant legal victory in its ongoing dispute with the European Union (EU) regarding tech regulations. These regulations classify Amazon as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) and mandate that the company provide researchers and authorities with access to its advertising repositories to analyze ad targeting.
In July, Amazon brought its concerns before the General Court, the second-highest court in Europe, based in Luxembourg. This followed the decision by EU antitrust regulators in April to designate Amazon as a VLOP, a classification that also applied to 18 other platforms and search engines.
Amazon’s request for an interim measure, aimed at suspending specific requirements outlined in the Digital Services Act (DSA), has been granted. These requirements include compiling and publicly disclosing an advertisement repository and offering users an option for each of its recommender systems that is not based on profiling. These measures will remain in effect until the Court issues a final ruling on Amazon’s VLOP designation.
The Court concurred with Amazon’s arguments, characterizing the grant of interim measures as a means to temporarily maintain the existing situation.
Amazon expressed its satisfaction with the interim measure, asserting that it is «an important initial step that supports our broader stance that Amazon does not fit the description of a ‘Very Large Online Platform’ (VLOP) under the DSA and should not be designated as such.»
However, it’s worth noting that the Court dismissed the second part of Amazon’s application.
This legal case is identified as T‑367/23 R, Amazon Services Europe Sarl vs. Commission.
