Auction site ebay off the hook
09/04/2002 14:15  - (SA)  

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California - The internet auction site eBay on Monday said US authorities have closed an antitrust investigation without taking any action against the company.

However, a source close to the company said another government investigation, related to eBay's former practice of allowing gun sales on its site, remains open.

An eBay spokesperson declined to comment on the status of that investigation, which was launched by federal prosecutors in New York in 1999. However, sources said the probe, related to whether eBay broke any laws when it permitted the firearms sales, is ongoing.

No charges have been brought, and eBay has long since stopped allowing gun sales. It put a ban in place in February 1999.

Separately, eBay said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that a Justice Department probe into its licensing programme had been closed. That investigation also related to a now-settled lawsuit eBay had filed against the auction aggregator Bidder's Edge seeking to block it from listing eBay content on its site.

"The division has closed its investigation without taking action against us," eBay said in its annual report filed with the SEC.

EBay, which attracts millions of visitors to its auction site, has sought to block a number of aggregators from listing its content on other sites, fearing it could dilute its audience.

- Reuters

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