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California is taking legal action against Seattle-based Amazon. California Attorney General Rob Bonta is filing a lawsuit against the retail giant for blocking price competition, causing increased prices across the state. In order to avoid competing prices with other online e-commerce sites, Amazon requires merchants to enter into agreements that severely penalize them if their products are offered for a lower price elsewhere. Bonta alleges that these agreements prevent other online retailers from competing, resulting in Amazon’s dominance in the online retail marketplace. Bonta says this practice hurts merchants and consumers through inflated fees and higher prices.