Comment by lelandfe
10 hours ago
> operated at a loss as a business tactic to force out competition and kill off local grocery stores
Wouldn't surprise me. I know a guy who invented a device for truckers that became ubiquitous in truck stops across the US. This would've been like 2014.
He refused to sell on Amazon, so Amazon duped his product and sold it at something crazy, like half price, until he agreed to list (at which point they dropped their competing product)
Such tactics sound… illegal
Haven’t you heard? Laws don’t apply to companies
And I thought corporations are people, my friend.
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[flagged]
Why am I seeing this?
Illegal in what way? They are not allowed to set prices lower than competitors or raise them at any time?
Predatory pricing is illegal in the US, but difficult to prosecute under the existing laws.
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> Amazon duped his product and sold it at something crazy, like half price
Pricing below an appropriate measure of cost is generally considered predatory pricing. It is very difficult to enforce this, but that doesn't change the fact that it could be illegal and a violation of antitrust laws.
The password is Melania...
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/04/07/when-billionaire-go...
https://pagesix.com/2026/01/27/hollywood/inside-melania-trum...
It has been their practice since forever. Look up the diapers.com case.
Did he have a patent?
I just looked it up - yes, and far in advance of the timeframe
This is (or was) a very small business. An office and a warehouse, basically.
Can you link to the patent?
Do you want to go up against whatever patent portfolio AMZN has?
I'm not aware of any Amazon product lines or organizations that specializes in devices for truckers. Can you provide a listing?
Truckers are the biggest demo but it's sold under a generic category.
huh. What's the product listing? I don't think this story rings true.
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There's no listing. The story is made up.
While the general premise is true (big company will try to rip off small company), Amazon doesn't have the magical power to get around patent law and the economic penalties are fairly harsh, which is why most companies don't do it. And no war chest of tech patents is going to get Amazon around a patent in the trucking industry because the inventor of the trucking gizmo couldn't care less about whether Amazon patented the right to make Alexa speak in tongues.
It's possible, and likely, that Alibaba vendors decided to rip off the product, but again...patent law is a useful tool for those who use it, and Amazon can be held liable for the sales of infringing products on its storefronts.
Tell that to a judge after 15 years millions of dollars and an out of date product.
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Amazon currently sells fake fuses that have probably already killed people.
Amazon cares just slightly more about breaking the law then they about killing people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B90_SNNbcoU
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