Zalando is taking action against classification as a 'very large online platform'

Zalando has filed a lawsuit against the European Commission at the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) contesting the classification by the Commission as a "very large online platform", the Berlin retailer announced on Tuesday.

The classification, which is part of the Digital Services Act (DSA), obliges Zalando to manage systemic risks, which means that, according to the Commission, the retailer has a special responsibility for online security. In addition, Zalando is subject to stricter supervisory obligations.

However, Zalando argued that the Commission ignored the retail nature of its business model. The platform does not pose a systemic risk of distributing harmful or illegal content from third parties, according to its announcement.

The online fashion retailer went one step further and also complained about the "unequal treatment resulting from the lack of a clear and consistent methodology to assess whether a company is a 'very large online platform'".

As part of the Digital Services Act, the European Commission published a list at the end of April with a total of 17 'Very Large Online Platforms' (or VLOPs) and two 'Very Large Online Search Engines' (or VLOSES).

Zalando is the only fashion retailer listed alongside platforms such as Alibaba AliExpress, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Wikipedia.

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.DE. Translation and edit by: Rachel Douglass.