Dear Members, Today was a significant victory in ABA's advocacy efforts to fight Amazon's stranglehold as the Federal Trade Commission and 17 state attorneys general (including one of the key states engaged with ABA's white paper) announced a lawsuit against Amazon. The suit alleges that Amazon violates antitrust law by engaging in exclusionary conduct that prevents current competitors from growing and new competitors from emerging, and by stifling competition on price, product selection, and quality. These allegations are not news to all of you, as our industry was the first harmed by Amazon’s anticompetitive behavior. In a press release, the FTC and its state partners reported that they are seeking a permanent injunction in federal court that would prohibit Amazon from engaging in its unlawful conduct and pry loose Amazon’s monopolistic control to restore competition. Dave Grogan, ABA’s Director of Advocacy and Public Policy, Ray Daniels, ABA’s Chief Communications Officer, and I met with the FTC last week in D.C. and were struck by the intense level of engagement and commitment. In that regard today's announcement isn't a surprise, but the scope of this lawsuit is — it's massive and will allow the FTC to use their subpoena power to create critical transparency around Amazon's (anticompetitive) business practices. Since I became CEO over three years ago, ABA’s fight against Amazon has been a top priority. I’d like to thank Dave for his tireless efforts in support of a level playing field for independent bookstores, and I’d like to thank Ray for his contributions to our antitrust strategy and communication. I’d also like to thank the FTC; ABA applauds the FTC and its state partners for their efforts to restore a fair marketplace. ABA celebrates this first step toward releasing Amazon’s stranglehold. Onward, Allison K Hill, CEO |