Amazon, the gigantic internet based retailer and the American electronic commerce and cloud computing company in the United States, has taken legal action against four companies that pay people to produce reviews .
No response was yet announced from any of the four companies to any of Amazon’s claims.
“While small in number, these reviews threaten to undermine the trust that customers, and the vast majority of sellers and manufacturers, place in Amazon, thereby tarnishing Amazon’s brand,” said the retailer in documents filed to the court in Washington.
Amazon blamed the sites of trademark infringement, and violations of local consumer protection statutes and cyber squatting laws that govern who can own a domain name.
Amazon assumed it verified its allegations by paying one of the services to write reports about products. This resulted in them getting “glowing” reviews.
The sites pay between $19 and $22 (£13-£15) for each review which typically results in products getting a four or five star rating. Higher star ratings can often translate into higher sales.
