Amazon has been hit with a massive $7 million antitrust lawsuit from a US state.
The complaint accuses Amazon of monopolistic conduct, unfair competition and a breach of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
It alleges that Amazon is an “aggressor” and a “co-conspirator” of rival platforms.
The company is also accused of trying to “delegitimise the content of the products sold” by claiming it “is the only digital marketplace that does not compete with the other platforms”.
It also accuses Amazon’s competitor Amazon.ca of “fraudulently” inducing customers to use its service, including on the Amazon.net website.
Amazon.co the site for buying and selling Amazon products, has been taken offline by the company.
However, the company’s services continue to be offered through the same platform, which is only available in the US.
The lawsuit claims that the service has not been used by the vast majority of users, despite being available in every country on Earth.
It also says that Amazon.uk, which provides an alternative to Amazon.to, has no “effective” control over the service.
The suit was filed on Tuesday by the National Consumer Law Center and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
It seeks to force Amazon to remove the ads from the Amazon website.
The Electronic Frontier foundation is also suing Amazon over its practices of advertising through other platforms, including through mobile apps.
The plaintiffs also claim that Amazon has engaged in conduct that violates the Sherman Act, the Electronic Privacy Information Center’s antitrust law, and the Sherman Trade Secrets Act.
The case is being heard by a US district court judge in San Francisco.