Airbnb continues to navigate rocky water. In 2012, Airbnb contacted interior design couple Zoe de Las Cases and Benjamin Dewe to host its Paris office launch party in their home. Three years later, the couple is suing Airbnb after discovering the home-share company's HQ is replicated after it.
So, is imitation the sincerest form of flattery? No, says Zoe. "They are branding their company with our life," Zoe says. "We decided to go directly to the lawyer." Although Airbnb doesn't deny that it models its office spaces after popular listings on the site, it doesn't specify if it gets permission to do so.
Design is a big part of Airbnb's success. The company publishes a print magazine called Pineapple and uses strategic professional photographs of certain properties. There'll be a hearing in Paris, and then the case will be sent to a California court. It could take up to 10 years to reach a conclusion. [Buzzfeed]
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