EU set to investigate Amazon’s US$1.7 billion iRobot deal: FT

THE European Union is set to investigate Amazon.com’s US$1.7 billion purchase of iRobot, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday (Feb 15).

EU regulators have sent the e-commerce giant a series of detailed questions over the proposed transaction, indicating that they are gearing up for a formal probe, the report said.

The antitrust watchdogs are likely to launch a formal probe over how iRobot’s autonomous vacuum cleaner Roomba operates, particularly its ability to take pictures as it moves around a home, the report added.

The potential move will follow the US Federal Trade Commission’s scrutiny of the deal over whether the transaction would increase Amazon’s market power.

EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment, while iRobot declined to comment.

“We’re working cooperatively with the relevant regulators in their review of the merger,” an Amazon spokesperson told Reuters. REUTERS