PARIS, May 13 (Reuters) - France's highest administrative court, the Conseil d'Etat, rejected on Wednesday a challenge by Internet giant Amazon over minimum delivery fees on books, as the country continues its battle to protect its cultural traditions in an age of global, digital commerce.
The French government had introduced the minimum three euro ($3.50) fee in October 2023 to help local independent bookstores counter competition from Amazon, which had until then charged a euro cent on book deliveries in France. The French fee does not apply for purchases above 35 euros.
Amazon had argued that this French fee was protectionist and a breach of European Union law.
"This is a disappointing decision — most of all for readers who are already navigating a cost-of-living squeeze and bear the cost of this tax on reading, and the tens of millions of French people with no bookstore nearby," said an Amazon spokesperson.
"The evidence is clear: this measure has cost readers over 100 million euros, driven the French further away from books, and strengthened large retail chains rather than independent booksellers. We remain focused on our mission: helping readers access books across France."
France's efforts to protect its cultural heritage and traditions have frequently put it at odds with global Internet companies, such as Amazon.
French bookstores are typically concentrated in towns and cities. Amazon said online sales of books had enabled consumers to have equal access, regardless of where they lived.
($1 = 0.8546 euros)
(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
