Competition Commission could target Amazon and Google in online shopping investigation

[Hanno Labuschagne]

Competition Commission could target Amazon and Google in online shopping investigation

The Competition Commission’s enquiry into South Africa’s digital market will include international platforms, which means the Amazon Store, the Apple App Store, and the Google Play Store would form part of its investigation.

The Commission announced it would be launching the Online Intermediation Platforms Market Inquiry (OIPMI) in February 2021, a few months after it published its “Competition in the Digital Economy" whitepaper.

The Commission said it had reasons to believe that market features exist that impeded, distorted or restricted competition amongst the platforms and undermined the Competition Act's purposes.

 

[JimboBob]

Commission finding: We therefor require all deliveries go through the Post Office or each entity pays a R500m fine

 

[pinball wizard]

Remember when the guvvamint was going to force Netflix to collect TV license fees.

 

[pinball wizard]

The Competition Commission’s enquiry into South Africa’s digital market will include international platforms, which means the Amazon Store, the Apple App Store, and the Google Play Store would form part of its investigation.

Wont affect me. I'm using a Huawei with their own app store...

 

[CataclysmZA]

The Commission said it had reasons to believe that market features exist that impeded, distorted or restricted competition amongst the platforms and undermined the Competition Act's purposes.

IOW:

"We've seen the kinds of fines that the EU is putting on these companies and we'd like to charge R1bn as well since they can afford it."

 

[Fulcrum29]

Amazon's association program has been a positive contributor to me economically. No SA business in SA provides this value.

Though it is the article which nitpicked on Amazon and other digital stores, it would be most interesting to see how the commission approaches Wish whom have an existing relationship with SAPO or is this what the competition seeks, that these businesses must be within 'SOE'-compliance?

It is also not a secret that the biggest businesses all have a stake in this, and that the sentiment towards competition is steered by big business. I won't be surprised to know that a big etailer in SA has written to the commission to take a swing at the competition.

I hate exclusion. Competition is always good, gouging is bad.

Perhaps SA business should be more open to change, adaptation and innovation.

 

[now05ster]

Good. It's about time the government research the best practices of these private companies in the hopes that they adopt it.

If it takes a commission to do so then so be it.

/s

 

[ToxicBunny]

I really do think that the Competition Commission doesn't really understand how these online market places actually work and function in the real world.

 

[Digilus]

Next up .. Amazon, Google, Apple and even the Huawei store must contain 30% local apps or else... [ insert eye-rolling here ]

 

[pinball wizard]

I really do think that the Competition Commission doesn't really understand how these online market places actually work and function in the real world.

Pay your TV license to stream netflix on your phone. It's the right thing to do.

 

[DreamKing]

amazon? really?

when they start operation in SA?

 

[Sinbad]

 

[rvZA]

Well..... if they have businesses here in SA, offices and representatives here in SA, servers located here in SA, registered for VAT in SA, then it is only fair that all SA laws apply to them too. I have no problem with this at all. Investigate them, prosecute them and fine them to death.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Well..... if they have businesses here in SA, offices and representatives here in SA, then it is only fair that all SA laws apply to them too. I have no problem with this at all. Investigate them, prosecute them and fine them to death.

Except this lot of muppets are going after entities that don't have a presence in this country.

 

[rvZA]

Except this lot of muppets are going after entities that don't have a presence in this country.

Hence the reason for my statement.

“Foreign-based platforms contract directly with South African business users to be present on their platforms and facilitate transactions with South African consumers, as well as with foreign consumers using South African businesses.”

This is exactly the same as saying we are now going to tax Disney Inc, because some South Africans are going there and paying money to them.

This whole thing is idiotic.

 

[moklet]

Governments all over the world are looking at extracting money from corporates