About the Course:

This webinar begins with an insightful review of the business models of key players in the online vacation rental market (e.g. Airbnb and HomeAway), transportation network companies (e.g. Uber and Lyft) and meal sharing apps (e.g. Meal Sharing, EatWith and CookApp).

This ground-breaking webinar continues with a discussion of the issues confronting each of the aforementioned sectors of the sharing economy. These challenges include:

• Housing market issues, taxing issues, code enforcement issues, and policy enforcement issues in the case of online vacation rental companies.
• Competition with the taxi industry, lack of regulations, and employee classification with respect to the transportation network companies.
• Zoning issues, business license issues, and health and safety issues relative to meal sharing apps.

The following are among the issues that investors should be familiar with before investing in the online vacation rental operators, transportation network companies or meal sharing apps:

• To what extent can sharing companies straddle the different relevant regulatory bodies?
• How is the availability of insurance helping or hindering the scaling of sharing companies?
• How aggressive can sharing companies become in terms of bestowing gifts on regulators? In terms of tempting regulators with the possibility of career opportunities within their organizations?
• What legal requirements are placed on sharing companies with respect to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act?
• How aggressive are State Attorney's General in demanding records of lodging hosts from online vacation rental operators? What level of resistance are they encountering?
• What penalties do lodging hosts stand to receive for violating local anti-sharing laws? What is the level of difficulty in identifying and charging such violators?
• To what extent do online vacation rental operators have standing to sue when they wish to challenge local laws?
• What market penetration strategies are sharing companies pursuing? What is the range of restrictions regulators are placing on such companies?
• How should sharing companies present themselves before regulators?
• Where does the Civil Rights Act intersect with the sharing economy?
• What are the implications of collect-and-remit and transient occupancy taxes?

Course Leader: Jordan E. A. Ferguson, Attorney, Best Best & Krieger LLP.

Jordan E. A. Ferguson provides legal services to cities, special districts and private clients across Southern California. He is well-versed in issues surrounding emerging technologies and the sharing economy, land use and planning laws, conflicts of interest, free speech regulations, privacy rights, sex offender regulations, the Brown Act, public safety regulations and elections law matters. As an associate in the Municipal Law and Special Districts practice groups of Best Best & Krieger LLP, his practice involves city attorney and general counsel services. Jordan graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan School of Law. While in law school, he served as a contributing editor of the Michigan Telecommunications and Technology Law Review and worked as a judicial extern for a federal judge in the Eastern District of New York. Jordan also coached mock trial at a local high school.

Course Length: Approx. 1.5 hours

$295 PER USER

Purchase Now:

Need help purchasing this course? Please contact Neomi Barazani at 609-919-1895 ext. 100 or at info@bdacademy.com.