A jury will decide if Amazon illegally tricked people into paying for Prime

"Amazon is about to face a roughly month-long trial against the US Federal Trade Commission in Seattle to defend its Prime program from claims it tricked tens of millions of customers into signing up for the membership and made it hard to quit. It's one of several Big Tech trials the US government has initiated that's taking place this year, but the first major one in recent history against Amazon."

"Jury selection in the case will begin on Monday, which will be followed by opening arguments in the case. The FTC has separately sued Amazon for allegedly anticompetitive practices in a case that's set to begin in early 2027. The case beginning Monday alleges that Amazon deceived consumers about its sign-up and cancellation process for Prime benefits in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act (ROSCA), which requires sellers to get consumers' informed consent to charge them."

"The government already won a significant ruling last week from Judge John Chun, who found on summary judgement that Amazon violated ROSCA by collecting customers' billing information before disclosing the material terms of the Prime membership. Chun also ruled that two Amazon executives could be held personally liable for violations if the FTC is able to prove them during the trial. Chun earlier admonished Amazon for withholding documents from the FTC in a way that was "tantamount to bad faith.""

A month-long FTC trial in Seattle will examine allegations that Amazon used deceptive sign-up practices and made Prime cancellations difficult, affecting tens of millions of customers. The FTC claims violations of Section 5 of the FTC Act and ROSCA by collecting billing information before disclosing material terms and by employing dark patterns to obtain consent. Jury selection begins Monday, with opening arguments to follow, and a separate antitrust suit is scheduled for early 2027. A judge ruled on summary judgment that ROSCA was violated and allowed potential personal liability for two Amazon executives, citing withheld documents.

Read at The Verge