Amazon’s decision to legally challenge its inclusion in a group of companies subject to strict online content regulations in the European Union has caught the attention of industry experts, who speculate that other tech giants may soon follow suit. Taking its case to the Luxembourg-based General Court, Europe’s second-highest court, Amazon becomes the first Big Tech company to challenge these regulations. This move comes just weeks after German online retailer Zalando filed a similar lawsuit against the European Commission.
Under the Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into effect last year, 19 online platforms and search engines were categorized as very large online platforms (VLOP) due to their large user base of over 45 million users. This VLOP designation imposes additional responsibilities on companies to combat illegal content online.
An Amazon spokesperson argues that if the VLOP label were to be applied solely to Amazon and not to other major retailers in the EU, it would create an unfair situation, burdening Amazon with unnecessary administrative obligations that do not benefit EU consumers. The company asserts that it is not the largest retailer in any EU country where it operates and that its larger competitors in these markets have not been subjected to the VLOP designation.
Amazon firmly believes that it does not fit the criteria of a “Very Large Online Platform” as defined by the DSA and consequently should not be classified as such. With this in mind, the company has submitted a request to the General Court for the annulment of its VLOP designation. At the time of writing, the EU executive has not responded to this development.
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