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Judge questions Airbnb stance on San Francisco rental law
Source: Reuters
TECHNOLOGY NEWS | Thu Oct 6, 2016 | 3:18pm EDT
Judge questions Airbnb stance on San Francisco rental law
By Dan Levine | SAN FRANCISCO
A U.S. judge expressed skepticism toward a bid by Airbnb to halt a San Francisco law that imposes fines on home rental companies for processing bookings by hosts not registered with the city.
The case pits San Francisco leaders against Airbnb and other allies in the tech industry in the midst of a housing crisis in the city. Local officials want to maximize tax collection on rental units, while tech advocates say internet firms should not be hamstrung by myriad local rules on what they can publish.
At a hearing in San Francisco federal court on Thursday, U.S. District Judge James Donato said he was "concerned" with Airbnb's position because the San Francisco statute targets only bookings processed by Airbnb, not what the company publishes on its website.
"I'm just struggling with understanding how this ordinance inherently requires me as a district court to treat your client as a publisher," Donato said.
The San Francisco ordinance requires Airbnb and similar services to verify that people booking short-term rentals on their sites have registered with the city. The services would face fines of $1,000 each time they process a booking from an unregistered host.
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Judge questions Airbnb stance on San Francisco rental law
By Dan Levine | SAN FRANCISCO
A U.S. judge expressed skepticism toward a bid by Airbnb to halt a San Francisco law that imposes fines on home rental companies for processing bookings by hosts not registered with the city.
The case pits San Francisco leaders against Airbnb and other allies in the tech industry in the midst of a housing crisis in the city. Local officials want to maximize tax collection on rental units, while tech advocates say internet firms should not be hamstrung by myriad local rules on what they can publish.
At a hearing in San Francisco federal court on Thursday, U.S. District Judge James Donato said he was "concerned" with Airbnb's position because the San Francisco statute targets only bookings processed by Airbnb, not what the company publishes on its website.
"I'm just struggling with understanding how this ordinance inherently requires me as a district court to treat your client as a publisher," Donato said.
The San Francisco ordinance requires Airbnb and similar services to verify that people booking short-term rentals on their sites have registered with the city. The services would face fines of $1,000 each time they process a booking from an unregistered host.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-tech-airbnb-lawsuit-idUSKCN126252?il=0