parallel

Parallel is a name chosen to evoke the fact that legal advice must be connected to the operational issues and constraints of companies.

Business and law cannot be dealt with separately.

Understandable in many languages, Parallel also refers to the coexistence of traditional companies and innovative businesses, each of which can take advantage of the industrial revolution we are experiencing, provided they master their legal environment and anticipate its evolution.

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Litigation

Defending innovative technological models: success of a car-pooling platform against a PHV business

Parallel Avocats successfully represented and defended Citygo in proceedings brought by a PHV business (Heetch) to prohibit its activity as a ride-sharing platform. The judgment is available online (https://www.legalis.net/actualite/le-modele-de-covoiturage-de-citygo-valide/).

Citygo was summoned by a VTC reservation center (Heetch), which asked the courts to prohibit its activity of connecting private individuals for car-sharing journeys. Heetch claimed that Citygo did not meet the legal criteria for carpooling and, thanks to its digital platform, was promoting on-demand transport (reserved for cabs and VTCs), thereby constituting unfair competition.

The Commercial Court rejected Heetch's claims in their entirety, and ordered it to pay 30,000 euros under article 700 (an appeal was lodged). One of the key elements of the case was to present Citygo's innovative and technological business to the judges, to help them understand its legal and operational (in particular, IT) structure.

Thanks to this defense, Citygo won the case and consolidated the legal validity of its model. The opponent's claims were unsuccessful, and this success has enabled Citygo to continue its growth while obtaining legal recognition for its operation.

Patrick Clough

CEO of Citygo

“

« This result would not have been possible without Parallel Avocats. Their legal expertise on digital platforms and the legal challenges of innovative models was decisive. I would also like to underline their ability to deal with complexity (in this case, the field of transport and car-sharing), which is a rare quality. »