PARIS — France's highest administrative court, the Conseil d'Etat, on Wednesday rejected a challenge by Amazon over the country's minimum delivery fees on books. The decision upheld a rule requiring a minimum charge of three euros for book deliveries in France.

The French government introduced the three-euro minimum fee in October 2023 to help local independent bookstores counter competition from Amazon. Before that change, Amazon had charged one euro cent on book deliveries in France. The fee does not apply to purchases above 35 euros.

Amazon argued that the minimum delivery fee was protectionist and a breach of European Union law. The Conseil d'Etat dismissed that challenge in its Wednesday ruling.

"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," an Amazon spokesperson said following the ruling. The spokesperson also pointed to figures the company attributed to the policy's impact since it took effect.

"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," the spokesperson said.

Amazon said that online sales of books have enabled consumers to have equal access, regardless of where they lived. French bookstores are typically concentrated in towns and cities. France's efforts to protect its cultural heritage and traditions have frequently put it at odds with global Internet companies such as Amazon.