Manipulation of reviews on marketplaces as a form of unfair competition: Russian and foreign experience

Abstract

The article discusses the organization of the publication of fake reviews on marketplaces as a form of unfair competition. The influence of customer reviews on the promotion of goods and sellers on the marketplace is noted, as well as the possibility of manipulating the platform’s algorithms by posting fake reviews in order to gain unfair competitive advantages. The existing difficulties in qualifying the publication of fake reviews, including the organization of such publications, as an act of unfair competition are outlined. The approaches developed by the foreign practice of applying the legal prohibition of unfair competition to the activities of organizing the publication of fake reviews (using the example of the Amazon platform) are analyzed. The trends in the development of self-regulation of the activities of marketplaces in Russia and abroad are identified, and the need for further development of self-regulation as an effective mechanism for suppressing unfair practices in the promotion of goods on marketplaces is substantiated.