Amazon is the target of a high-profile, high-stakes lawsuit, brought by the U.S. government through the Federal Trade Commission. Attorney generals from 17 states joined the legal action, contending that the retail behemoth is using unfair strategies in both its online supermarket market for shoppers and its market for online marketplace services purchased by sellers.

“Our complaint lays out how Amazon has used a set of punitive and coercive tactics to unlawfully maintain its monopolies,” explained FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “The complaint sets forth detailed allegations noting how Amazon is now exploiting its monopoly power to enrich itself while raising prices and degrading service for the tens of millions of American families who shop on its platform and the hundreds of thousands of businesses that rely on Amazon to reach them. Today’s lawsuit seeks to hold Amazon to account for these monopolistic practices and restore the lost promise of free and fair competition.”

In the filing, the FTC and state attorneys general argue that other retailers and suppliers are excluded from competing with Amazon through its practices related to pricing, product selection and other business aspects. The lawsuit also calls out Amazon’s Prime service, alleging that the company conditions sellers to obtain Prime eligibility for their products using the company’s “costly” fulfillment arrangements.

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