Google, Amazon win EU court backing in Italian rule dispute

BRUSSELS :Alphabet’s Google, Amazon and Airbnb acquired the backing of Europe’s high court docket on Thursday in their fight against an Italian rule requiring them to produce data on themselves.

The dispute between the companies and Italian authorities centered on provisions adopted in 2020 and 2021 mandating on-line service suppliers operating in Italy to signal as a lot as a register and publish a sort of forms of data, along with paying a monetary contribution or risking a vibrant.

The companies had challenged the requirement, asserting it became as soon as opposite to EU legislation which says on-line service suppliers are most efficient area to the foundations of the country the place they’re established, while countries the place they provide a service must refrain from making consume of their laws.

“A member speak would perchance well additionally simply no longer impose further tasks on an on-line service provider established in any other member speak,” judges within the Luxembourg-based totally totally Court docket of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) acknowledged.

“Italy can’t impose on suppliers of those services and products established in assorted member states further tasks which, though required for the provision of those services and products in that country, are no longer imposed in their member speak of firm,” they acknowledged.

Both Google and Airbnb salvage their European headquarters in Eire and Amazon in Luxembourg. U.S. on-line toddle services and products provider Expedia, based totally totally in Spain, also objected to the requirement.

The ruling is final and can’t be appealed.

The cases are C-662/22 | Airbnb Eire, C-667/22 Amazon Companies Europe, C-663/22 Expedia, C-664/22 Google Eire, C-666/22 Eg Vacation Rentals Eire and C-665/22 Amazon Companies Europe.