Post by High Priestess on Jun 28, 2016 1:03:45 GMT
See the article:
fortune.com/2016/06/27/airbnb-san-francisco-lawsuit/
www.sfexaminer.com/airbnb-sues-san-francisco-new-rules-short-term-rentals/
www.wsj.com/articles/airbnb-sues-san-francisco-to-block-rental-registration-law-1467081805
www.marketplace.org/2016/06/28/world/airbnb-files-suit-could-change-everything
Airbnb filed a lawsuit against the city of San Francisco on Monday June 27th over its recently passed rules that impose steep fines on home-sharing services that list illegal short-term rentals. According to Airbnb, San Francisco’s additional short-term rental rules violate the First Amendment and a law that protects websites from responsibility for what users publish.
The additional regulations approved by San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors earlier this month would force services like Airbnb, VRBO, and HomeAway to display each short-term rental host’s registration number or email it to the city’s office. If a site refuses to do so, it can face fines of up to $1,000 per day.
As of June 8, 1,324 San Francisco hosts had registered with the city’s office of short-term rental, according to the SF Examiner. That’s only a fraction of the estimated thousands of hosts in San Francisco.
Airbnb, however, argues that the city’s registration process is too complicated and burdensome for hosts. Instead of seeking to penalize home-sharing services, the company says that San Francisco should work to improve the registration process.
“While we have attempted to work with the city on sensible, lawful alternatives to this flawed new ordinance, we regret that we are forced to now ask a federal court to intervene in this matter,” the company said in a blog post on Monday. “This is an unprecedented step for Airbnb, and one we do not take lightly, but we believe it’s the best way to protect our community of hosts and guests.”
The crux of Airbnb’s legal argument is that San Francisco’s new rules violate a part of the Communications Decency Act that prohibits legislators from sanctioning websites for content posted by its users. City officials, however, argue that its new rules are aimed at Airbnb’s business operations, not its website’s content.
Airbnb also says the new rules violate the Stored Communications Act, which prohibits state and local governments from demanding user information without going through a legal process. It also says the city’s rules violate its freedom of speech by attempting to regulate the content on its website.
Airbnb’s lawsuit filed today is only the latest move in an on-going battle between the company and San Francisco’s government. Despite Airbnb’s claims that it’s helping middle class residents afford to stay in their homes, the company has been accused of exacerbating San Francisco’s housing crisis by turning apartments into defacto hotels. In November, Airbnb helped defeated a ballot measure that would have imposed stricter regulations on short-term rentals in San Francisco.
This email was sent to SF hosts:
HEre is the Blog Post to SF hosts:
www.airbnbaction.com/an-update-for-our-community-in-san-francisco/
fortune.com/2016/06/27/airbnb-san-francisco-lawsuit/
www.sfexaminer.com/airbnb-sues-san-francisco-new-rules-short-term-rentals/
www.wsj.com/articles/airbnb-sues-san-francisco-to-block-rental-registration-law-1467081805
www.marketplace.org/2016/06/28/world/airbnb-files-suit-could-change-everything
Airbnb filed a lawsuit against the city of San Francisco on Monday June 27th over its recently passed rules that impose steep fines on home-sharing services that list illegal short-term rentals. According to Airbnb, San Francisco’s additional short-term rental rules violate the First Amendment and a law that protects websites from responsibility for what users publish.
The additional regulations approved by San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors earlier this month would force services like Airbnb, VRBO, and HomeAway to display each short-term rental host’s registration number or email it to the city’s office. If a site refuses to do so, it can face fines of up to $1,000 per day.
As of June 8, 1,324 San Francisco hosts had registered with the city’s office of short-term rental, according to the SF Examiner. That’s only a fraction of the estimated thousands of hosts in San Francisco.
Airbnb, however, argues that the city’s registration process is too complicated and burdensome for hosts. Instead of seeking to penalize home-sharing services, the company says that San Francisco should work to improve the registration process.
“While we have attempted to work with the city on sensible, lawful alternatives to this flawed new ordinance, we regret that we are forced to now ask a federal court to intervene in this matter,” the company said in a blog post on Monday. “This is an unprecedented step for Airbnb, and one we do not take lightly, but we believe it’s the best way to protect our community of hosts and guests.”
The crux of Airbnb’s legal argument is that San Francisco’s new rules violate a part of the Communications Decency Act that prohibits legislators from sanctioning websites for content posted by its users. City officials, however, argue that its new rules are aimed at Airbnb’s business operations, not its website’s content.
Airbnb also says the new rules violate the Stored Communications Act, which prohibits state and local governments from demanding user information without going through a legal process. It also says the city’s rules violate its freedom of speech by attempting to regulate the content on its website.
Airbnb’s lawsuit filed today is only the latest move in an on-going battle between the company and San Francisco’s government. Despite Airbnb’s claims that it’s helping middle class residents afford to stay in their homes, the company has been accused of exacerbating San Francisco’s housing crisis by turning apartments into defacto hotels. In November, Airbnb helped defeated a ballot measure that would have imposed stricter regulations on short-term rentals in San Francisco.
This email was sent to SF hosts:
Airbnb
Hi ________
Recently, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a new law requiring websites like Airbnb to remove hosts who don’t complete the city’s arduous, invasive registration process. Under the current process, registering can take months and the rules change constantly.
Rather than fix the process, the new law threatens to harm thousands of San Franciscans who depend on Airbnb to pay the bills and stay in the City. The City should fix the registration process before forcing Airbnb to remove hosts who can’t navigate it. Perhaps more importantly, many legal experts believe the new rules violate federal laws that protect online privacy and innovation on the Internet.
That’s why we filed a lawsuit today in federal court challenging San Francisco’s newest rules. This is an unprecedented step for Airbnb, and one we do not take lightly, but we believe it’s the best way to protect our community of hosts and guests.
Legal actions like this can take months or even years. While the case moves forward, we will continue collecting and remitting hotel taxes in San Francisco—roughly $1 million each month—and removing listings offered by unwelcome commercial operators who could be taking housing off the long-term rental market.
We’ll also stay in close touch with you and provide as much information as possible about how this case and the new rules affect you and your listing. For now, you can review this blog post www.airbnbaction.com/an-update-for-our-community-in-san-francisco/ to learn more.
We’ll be sure to keep you updated with our progress in these efforts and share an opportunity to learn more soon.
Thank you for being a part of this community.
Sincerely,
The Airbnb Team
Hi ________
Recently, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a new law requiring websites like Airbnb to remove hosts who don’t complete the city’s arduous, invasive registration process. Under the current process, registering can take months and the rules change constantly.
Rather than fix the process, the new law threatens to harm thousands of San Franciscans who depend on Airbnb to pay the bills and stay in the City. The City should fix the registration process before forcing Airbnb to remove hosts who can’t navigate it. Perhaps more importantly, many legal experts believe the new rules violate federal laws that protect online privacy and innovation on the Internet.
That’s why we filed a lawsuit today in federal court challenging San Francisco’s newest rules. This is an unprecedented step for Airbnb, and one we do not take lightly, but we believe it’s the best way to protect our community of hosts and guests.
Legal actions like this can take months or even years. While the case moves forward, we will continue collecting and remitting hotel taxes in San Francisco—roughly $1 million each month—and removing listings offered by unwelcome commercial operators who could be taking housing off the long-term rental market.
We’ll also stay in close touch with you and provide as much information as possible about how this case and the new rules affect you and your listing. For now, you can review this blog post www.airbnbaction.com/an-update-for-our-community-in-san-francisco/ to learn more.
We’ll be sure to keep you updated with our progress in these efforts and share an opportunity to learn more soon.
Thank you for being a part of this community.
Sincerely,
The Airbnb Team
HEre is the Blog Post to SF hosts:
www.airbnbaction.com/an-update-for-our-community-in-san-francisco/