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  3. Ride-hailing service Uber suffered a new blow Wednesday as the European Union’s top court ruled that it should be regulated like

Ride-hailing service Uber suffered a new blow Wednesday as the European Union’s top court ruled that it should be regulated like

admin2020-11-04  54
问题    Ride-hailing service Uber suffered a new blow Wednesday as the European Union’s top court ruled that it should be regulated like a taxi company and not a technology service, a decision that restricts its activities around Europe and could weigh on other app-based companies, too.
   Uber, which is wrapping up a particularly punishing year, sought to play down the ruling Wednesday by the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice. The company said the decision only affects its operations in four countries and it will try to keep expanding in Europe anyway. The court decision could pave the way for new regulation of other Internet-based businesses, and reflects a larger dilemma about how governments should treat companies that operate online and don’t fit in with traditional laws.
   The decision stems from a complaint by a Barcelona taxi drivers association, which wanted to prevent Uber from setting up in the Spanish city. The taxi drivers said Uber drivers should have authorizations and licenses, and accused the company of engaging in unfair competition.
   Arguing its case, San Francisco-based Uber said it should be regulated as an information services provider, because it is based on an app that connects drivers to riders. The court said in a statement that services provided by companies like Uber are "inherently linked to a transport service" and therefore must be classified as "a service in the field of transport" within EU law. It says the EU directive on electronic commerce does not apply to companies like Uber. The decision affects ride-hailing services around the 28-nation EU, where national governments can now regulate services like Uber as transport companies.
   Uber said in a statement that the ruling "will not change things in most EU countries where we already operate under transportation law" and that it will "continue the dialogue with cities across Europe" to allow access to its services. The company has already been forced to adhere to national regulations in several EU countries and abandon its hallmark (标志) "peer-to-peer" service that hooks up freelance (做自由职业的) drivers and riders.
   The Barcelona-based law firm representing Elite Taxi, the association that filed the lawsuit, celebrated the ruling and said it had " great judicial significance ’. Its consequences can be expanded to other businesses that keep trying to avoid legal responsibilities in the services that they provide. And the European Trade Union Confederation said in a statement that it "warmly welcomes" the judgment, saying it will help drivers get fair wages and conditions. It said the ruling " confirms that Uber does not simply exist ’ on the cloud’ but is well established with its wheels firmly on the road. " However, an association representing online companies warned that the ruling goes against EU efforts to encourage innovation and compete with US and Asian online companies.
   Uber has had a roller-coaster year that included the ouster (罢免) of its chief executive officer, sexual harassment allegations, the revelation that it covered up a massive breach of customers’ data, and regulatory challenges.
How did Uber respond to the ruling of the court?
选项 A、It tried to reduce the effects of the ruling.
B、It agreed to change its commercial model.
C、It attempted to overturn the court decision.
D、It would be forced to give up its core business.
答案A
解析 事实细节题。本题考查优步对欧盟法庭裁决的应对。第二段前两句提到，优步试图淡化法庭裁决可能造成的影响，并称自己仍然会继续扩展在欧洲的业务，可见优步将努力减小法庭裁决可能带来的影响，故答案为A)。B)“它同意改变自己的商业模式”，文章虽然提到优步在欧盟国家遭遇到一些限制，但是没有提及优步是否打算改变其商业模式，故排除；C)“它试图推翻法庭裁决”是对第四段第一句的曲解，原文只是说优步进行了申辩，并没有提起上诉和请求推翻目前裁决的打算，故排除；D)“它将被迫放弃自己的核心业务”是对第五段最后一句的误解，原文的意思是优步在一些欧盟国家放弃了其标志性的“点对点”服务，并非其核心业务，故排除。
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