FIXED (OFFICIAL) – Italy opens antitrust investigation into Amazon and Apple over sales of Beats headphones

(corrected statement of the antitrust authority regarding the date of the searches)

MILAN, July 22 (Reuters) – Italy’s antitrust authority said on Wednesday it had opened an investigation into Apple Inc and Amazon Inc’s involvement in anticompetitive cooperation over the sale of Apple products and Beats headphones.

It said the investigation sought to determine whether Apple and Amazon reached an anticompetitive agreement to prevent electronics retailers from being excluded from Apple’s official product sales program.

She added that antitrust officials searched Amazon and Apple’s offices in Italy on Tuesday. (Reporting by Elvira Pollina; Editing by James Mackenzie)