Uber hit a speed bump in Germany last week after a regional court in Frankfurt issued a temporary ban, with national implications, on the ride-sharing service. A suit filed by Taxi Deutschland claimed that Uber drivers did not have the necessary permits or insurance to pick up passengers in Germany. The penalties for breaking the injunction: fines of up to 250,000 euros ($330,000) for Uber executives and up to six months of jail time for local Uber employees. Uber, which connects drivers and passengers via a smartphone app, said in a statement that it plans to appeal the decision. This is not the first time Uber has experienced trouble in Europe. Earlier this summer, thousands of taxicab drivers protested from London to Milan, claiming that Uber drivers did not have to pay the same fees or get the same certifications that they did. The San Francisco-based company also received some bad publicity last week when if was accused of using shady tactics to recruit drivers from rival ride-sharing service Lyft.
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