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Amazon legal challenges in Germany

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2026-10-16 10:22 UTC → 2026-10-16 10:22 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Amazon is facing multiple legal challenges in Germany regarding its compliance with consumer protection and digital regulations. In August 2026, the Higher Regional Court of Bamberg ruled that Amazon violated the Digital Services Act (DSA). The court found that the company’s mechanism for reporting illegal offers was “insufficient and misleading,” noting that the reporting link suggested quality defects rather than illegal listings. The ruling also stated that requiring a customer account to submit reports violated Article 16 of the DSA, and that Amazon failed to meet transparency requirements regarding how search results are sorted and how users disable personalized advertising. In September 2026, legal scrutiny shifted toward Amazon Prime membership fees. Following a challenge by the Consumer Association of North Rhine-Westphalia, the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) ruled on September 30, 2026, that Amazon’s 2022 Prime price increase was invalid. The court determined that the clauses in Amazon’s general terms and conditions violated transparency requirements under § 307 of the German Civil Code (BGB) because they did not clearly inform customers of their rights regarding price adjustments. Specifically, the ~~BGH~~ court found ~~that~~ the terms failed to clarify whether subscribers could object to a price adjustment or if ~~cancellation~~ their only recourse was to cancel the ~~only recourse.~~ membership. As a result, Amazon is reverting prices for long-term members whose uninterrupted subscriptions began before September 15, 2022. Annual memberships will return to 69 euros from 89.90 euros, and monthly rates will drop from 8.99 euros to 7.99 euros. As of October 7, 2026, these fee reductions are being applied automatically to the next billing cycle for affected German subscribers. While Amazon has begun notifying members via email, a separate class action filed by the Verbraucherzentrale Nordrhein-Westfalen continues to seek refunds for millions of potentially overcharged customers.

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