The app-driven car service Uber is facing a ban in all of Germany... and it doesn't seem to care.
A regional court in Frankfurt reportedly handed down a preliminary injunction that bans the service, with big fines for any violations.
But Uber told multiple outlets it plans to continue operating in the country and doubts the injunction can be enforced. (Video via Uber)
It's the same response Uber had when the service was banned in Virginia in June. That ban was eventually lifted.
In both cases, Uber's legal problems came from the service allegedly operating in violation of local laws and regulations. It's angered taxi drivers across Europe, and some analysts say that's the real reason for the German ruling.
DAMIEN MCGUINNESS, NPR: "The main reason is protests from taxi drivers working for traditional companies, who say they would be undercut by Uber which has almost an unfair advantage because they don't have to go along with the same strict regulations."
And that plays right into the narrative Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has been selling from the get go: his company is at war with traditional taxi services.
TRAVIS KALANICK, VIA RE/CODE: "That war or battle has been brought to us. And I think for too long, we were sort of tech geeks that didn't realize the battle was happening almost, or really what I'd like to call a political campaign."
So far, it's been a battle Kalanick and his company have been more than willing to fight, although they've received pushback from other mobile car services, not just taxi drivers, for their perceived ruthlessness. (Video via Fortune)
BLOOMBERG: "Brooke, their goal is to be dominant in most markets, so this plays into that quest for dominance?
BROOKE MORELAND, GETT: "Exactly, I think they're being a little disingenuous ... They want what's best for Uber."
That conversation referred to tactics Uber's competitors have accused it of in the past, such as calling up rides from car services like Lyft and Gett and then canceling them before they get there.
The country-wide injunction came after individual cities such as Berlin had acted to ban Uber over the past couple of months. Uber reportedly plans to appeal the injunction.
This video includes images from Getty Images.
