Tech

French police raid Uber's Paris office

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French police raided Uber's Paris office this week, seizing smartphones and other items as part of an investigation into the company's carpooling service called UberPop, according to a report in Le Monde. (Tweet This.)

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Authorities claim that UberPop does not abide by a new law that requires drivers to be insured and licensed. Uber, though, claims that its low cost service, which connects users with nonprofessional drivers, does meet the new standards.

Thibaud Simphal, Uber's general manager for the Paris area, said the raid was of questionable legality.

"We see in this a disproportionate action, carried out on shaky legal grounds," Simphal told the French magazine L'Obs.

UberPop is an auxiliary service offered by the taxi-disrupting start-up, which uses nonprofessional drivers. Uber did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment.

Paris isn't the only European market where Uber faces legal challenges.

On Wednesday a regional court in Germany issued a nationwide ban on Uber's services, including its UberPop service.

The court ruled that any violation of the ban will result in a hefty fine of 250,000 euro ($264,825), according to a Reuters report.

An Uber spokesperson said the company plans to appeal the decision, according to the report.

"We regret today's decision by the Frankfurt regional court to prevent Uber from contributing to better and cheaper individual mobility," said Fabien Nestmann, Uber's Germany general manager.


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