I stumbled across this really great website when I was reading about the legal battles Uber is facing right now! I suggest reading this article: http://www.fastcolabs.com/3028547/investors-say-lawbreakers-like-airbnb-aereo-and-uber-are-increasingly-worth-the-legal-bills
It highlights several of the themes we’ve discussed in this class so far: disruptive innovation; the tension between lawyers and entrepreneurs; the Napster lawsuit, etc. It’s really a great article now that we’re 9+ weeks into the class
Ha! That IS a great article. And note that Aereo founder Chet Kenojia was born in India. Here’s an article about him from the New York Times, in January:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/20/business/media/chet-kanojia-and-aereo-seek-to-shake-up-television-industry.html
Oh, and by the way, here is a quote from the article:
“The big content providers will do just fine in the new world, he says; the casualties will be the hundreds of channels that are barely watched but which consumers still have to pay for in their bundle.”
I loved this article. It made me think about the time a 5 hour BMW rental ended up costing me $500. I rented the car through ZipCar- was running late and did not notice the dings left by the previous renter. The car was a mess inside and I did call Zipcar in route to a child’s birthday party. I noticed the damage on my way home, immediately called Zipcar to report, and it was too late. Their contract (that I signed) required me to inspect the car and immediately call prior to leaving. I paid for the damage I didn’t cause, and cancelled my membership.
Airbnb is bound to turn users off from time to time. Contract law doesn’t always lead to justice. If I rent a place and a third party breaks in while I’m out, can I be held accountable for the damage? Will the owner’s insurance cover anything? Are there insurance policies that cover both homeowners and absentee landlords at the same property? What about the renters?
There are business opportunities in each of these questions. If regulators won’t (or shouldn’t) step in , will business?
If they don’t, courts will. There are centuries of precedent that can be adapted and applied to these kinds of cases. (That’s terrible about the rented BMW, by the way.)