When Will the Justice Department Take On Amazon?

[Commentary] Today, Amazon so dominates the marketplace that it feels free to bulldoze the competition, dictating terms to suppliers and customers alike. Antitrust issues are not only about price and market share, but also the antidemocratic implications for both competition and the larger culture.

When will the Justice Department wake up? We support Amazon's right to offer readers the widest array of books at the most reasonable price. But such a right is not to be exercised at the expense of the fragile and essential contributions of authors, editors and publishers to the general culture. Amazon ought no longer to be permitted to behave like a parasite that hollows out its host. A serious Justice Department investigation is past due.