financial rules. Airbnb denied acting as a real
estate agent.
“We welcome this judgment and want to
move forward and continue working with
cities on clear rules that put local families and
communities at the heart of sustainable 21st
century travel,” Airbnb said in a statement. “We
want to be good partners to everyone and
already we have worked with more than 500
governments to help hosts share their homes,
follow the rules and pay tax.”
In its ruling, the Court of Justice said that under
a European directive on electronic commerce
Airbnb should be classified as an “information
society service” connecting potential guests
with hosts. The court said that “France cannot
require Airbnb to hold an estate agent’s
professional licence.”
Paris city officials have been at odds with the
platform in recent years, holding it responsible
for the rise of rents in the French capital. Earlier
this year, the city took legal action against
Airbnb and wanted to fine the company 12.5
million euros ($14 million) for allowing owners
to rent their properties without having them
properly registered.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has planned to hold
a referendum that could reduce the platform’s
presence in some of the most touristic districts
of the city if she wins re-election next year.
In 2012, Airbnb had 4,000 Paris-area listings.
That surged to more than 40,000 by 2015, when
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky was welcomed at
city hall. Last year, Paris city hall said there were
about 60,000 Airbnb listings in Paris.