Overview
- The ruling resolves years of conflicting French appellate decisions, including divergent judgments from Paris and Aix-en-Provence.
- Judges cited Airbnb’s active involvement through listing rules, compliance checks, and promotional tools such as the Superhost label as evidence of control over content.
- By losing the safe-harbor protections for passive hosts, Airbnb can face civil claims when its platform facilitates unlawful subletting.
- The court’s reasoning, anchored in standards from the Court of Justice of the European Union, may guide future cases involving other short‑term rental platforms in France.
- Airbnb said it will take the matter to European courts and asserts a zero‑tolerance policy for illegal sublets, including removing listings reported to the company.