Last week, Reuters published an investigative report revealing how Amazon India has been systematically copying top-selling products using data that is not available to other sellers and manipulating search results to promote these products over those of competitors. Sellers on the platform as well as multiple industry bodies in India have long accused the company of doing this, but Amazon executives have repeatedly denied it, even in sworn testimonies and statements to US Congress. However, the Reuters report exposes how such practices “were part of a formal, clandestine strategy at Amazon." In the aftermath of these revelations, here's what industry bodies are saying: We demand immediate CBI investigation: CAIT Serious offense, needs investigation: Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary-General of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), called practices highlighted in the Reuters report a "serious offense" and Amazon a "global law offender." CAIT demands the Indian government to launch an immediate CBI investigation and to confiscate all material evidence, he said. Take lesson from the US: Referring to the recent letter written by five US lawmakers to Amazon asking the company for an explanation on the Reuters revelations, Khandelwal in multiple tweets thanked the US lawmakers for taking Amazon to task and called upon India's commerce ministry to take immediate action as well. "We must take lesson from US. Its Judiciary Committee has taken cognisance of Amazon malpractices in India," he said. Is Amazon being protected by the government? CAIT also alleged that the government inaction gives strength to the possibility that Amazon has protection from…
