Uber Is a Taxi Service, the E.C.J. Says, in Major Setback to Firm

This is a dupe of <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=15968034" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=15968034</a>

It feels like the ruling is essentially stating the obvious.

Here&#x27;s a Reuters article on this: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.reuters.com&#x2F;article&#x2F;us-uber-court&#x2F;uber-dealt-blow-after-eu-court-classifies-it-as-transport-service-idUSKBN1EE0W3" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.reuters.com&#x2F;article&#x2F;us-uber-court&#x2F;uber-dealt-blo...</a><p>I&#x27;m not sure &quot;major setback&quot; applies. They lost a court case, but according to Uber they&#x27;re already complying with transportation services regulations anyway. If that&#x27;s accurate it seems like the ruling is a formality in some sense, and the Reuters title is more accurate. It is a blow, but in the sense that they lost the case, not that it substantially affects how they operate.

Uber says they already mostly comply:<p>&quot;The ruling is the first to apply to Uber across the European Union. In a statement, the company said that it already operated under the transportation law of most European countries in which it did business, and that the ruling would have little impact. It added that it would continue a dialogue with cities across Europe for its services.&quot;

Rideshare companies seem more like huge dispatching services to me. Are these companies then all taxi services too? <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.google.com&#x2F;search?q=dispatching+software+for+taxi+companies" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.google.com&#x2F;search?q=dispatching+software+for+tax...</a>

No, the ECJ doesn&#x27;t say that it is a taxi service, the ECJ says that Uber should be regulated as a transport service instead of an information service