Der Spiegel, the German news magazine, reports that the country's competition authorities are investigating the distribution policies of some sports brands that try to keep retailers from selling their goods on open internet platforms such as Amazon and eBay. Confirming that it has received complaints from certain retailers, the Bundeskartellamt has said that it has opened such an investigation against Asics, which wants to protect its image and its price levels. The German anti-trust body does not exclude that a similar procedure may be initiated against Adidas, which recently announced that it will no longer supply retailers using such platforms. Reportedly, Nike is also planning to revise its policies toward these types of retailers.

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