Airbnb’s San Francisco Showdown May Set Rules for Gig Economy

By Joel Rosenblatt, Bloomberg News

Airbnb Inc. has a message for cities that try to enforce rules that crimp its couch-surfing style: See you in court.

The world’s fourth-most valuable startup is testing a legal strategy against its hometown that may be a template for sharing-economy firms to fend off regulation. Because it operates on the internet, Airbnb argues, it can’t be held responsible if users skirt local laws.

Airbnb sued San Francisco in June after it enacted a measure barring home-sharing platforms from collecting booking fees from hosts who haven’t registered their units with the city. Airbnb also sued ...