Exec cites free speech in spat over parking-spot-sale app, but seems to comply with takedown demand
One day before a Friday deadline set by the San Francisco city attorney, it appears that the operator of what he says is an illegal iPhone app concerning public parking has taken it down.
MonkeyParking, which makes it easy for individuals to sell a vacated public parking spot to another driver for the highest bid, was no longer operational as of Thursday afternoon, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. However, there was no official announcement by either chief executive officer Paolo Dobrowolny or city attorney Dennis Herrera that MonkeyParking had complied with San Francisco’s takedown demand.
Earlier, Dobrowolny said in an online statement that the city’s demand infringed on the free-speech rights of those who use the app, contending “I have the right to tell people if I am about to leave a parking spot, and they have the right to pay me for such information,” a previous San Francisco Chronicle article reported.
The CEO said his app merely allows individuals to share information with each other about parking. Herrera said it violates a law that prohibits contracts for the use of a public street or sidewalk.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Illegal app helps drivers get highest bid to vacate public parking spots, city attorney says”
