God, what a bunch of d-bags. We live in a society of laws, and you don't get to just ignore the courts, whether you're the NSA or Uber.<p>Here's hoping Germany seizes all their accounts with German banks.
> Violations will result in a fine against Uber of 250,000 euros ($328,108) per ride. (via the Deutsche Welle article)<p>Is the plan to also ignore the massive fines that are likely to result?
Is it the Uber app/office or Uber drivers that will continue to work despite the ban? They can say what they want in the press releases, but it's the drivers that are at risk and will be making the decision.<p>(or did I misunderstand and it's actually the company that will get fined?)
What exactly do I gain by using Uber? I see it's all the rage on the internet, but I still fail to grasp what exactly it is that I'm gaining through its usage. I'm from a medium-sized city (500k-1m) in Central (or Eastern?) Europe and I can use either public transportation or get a cab literally wherever I may be.<p>Why would I want to have a non-registered driver who does not adhere to taxi-standards pick me up and pay provision to a multi-billion dollar company that's trying to set itself up as a monopoly?<p>What niche is Uber filling in that I'm unaware of? Is this the re-invention of an mp3-player as an iPod? Because it sounds cool?
There's nothing else Uber could have done. If they withdrew from Germany, even only temporarily, it'd be seen as a way to restrict Uber's business in every country they operate in. It'd pretty much be an admission that they don't know if they're operating legally.<p>While the German government are <i>threatening</i> to fine drivers Uber are still ok. If the government actually fines someone successfully, I imagine Uber will be in <i>big</i> trouble.
If Uber loses its appeal on this, and then <i>continues</i> to ignore the court's ruling, then I think this will be a story. Until then, I'd say that Uber will continue to operate and the court won't do much about it, while the appeal is pending.