Amazon files new lawsuits

Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) has initiated new legal action in its longstanding dispute with Indian retailer Future Group after national antitrust authorities suspended a deal between the two parties scheduled for 2019, which resulted in the arbitration being suspended, so four sources told Reuters on Sunday.

The Indian Competition Commission of India (CCI) suspended its approval of Amazon's deal with Future for 2019 last month, thereby suspending attempts by the US e-commerce giant to sell its Future retail activities to Indian market leader Reliance Industries to prevent being nullified.

The suspension startled Amazon after a court in New Delhi stopped arbitration between the two sides.

Late on Saturday night, Amazon appealed the CCI's decision to India's National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, according to two of the sources.

Separately, according to two other sources, Amazon has also filed a challenge to the Supreme Court's decision by the Delhi court, in which the judges ruled last week that the arbitration between Future and Amazon must be suspended until February 1, since the antitrust suspension of the transaction has taken place.

Amazon and the CCI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The filings are the latest part of a bitter legal battle involving Amazon, Future and Reliance, which is viewed as a battle for retail supremacy in the booming Indian consumer market.

Reliance, run by one of India's richest men, Mukesh Ambani, plans to expand its presence by taking over the indebted company Future. However, Amazon has told India's antitrust authorities that it believes Reliance's consolidated position "will further restrict competition in the Indian retail market".

Amazon has long argued that Future's decision to sell retail assets to Reliance violated the terms of its 2019 agreement. The US company's position has so far been supported by the Singapore arbitration tribunal and Indian courts. Future denies any wrongdoing.

After the CCI suspended approval of the deal on the grounds that Amazon withheld information while requesting permits for the deal, Future argues that Amazon no longer has a legal basis to continue the litigation.

Both of Amazon's appeals, directed to the Indian court and the Supreme Court, are likely to be heard in the coming days, according to two of the sources.