Pick two massive platforms you'd think would be first to bring the fight to the EU lawmakers over the Digital Services Act... then forget both of them. Because it was German fashion retailer Zalando that filed a lawsuit today.
The EU first unveiled its hitlist of influential platforms on
26 April. As we explained
earlier that month, those companies are supposed to detail how their algorithms work, and be transparent about how their software allows ad slingers to target users or recommend content. The new rules are expected to apply from January 1, 2024. Zalando, or as some
Reg readers might know it – who? – is a €10.3 billion revenue company that operates in seven European countries and sells fashion retail online, including shoes, accessories and clothes. The company
this morning filed a legal challenge at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The fashion retailer is contesting its designation as a "Very Large Online Platform" (VLOP) by the European Commission. Under article 33 of the Digital Services Act (DSA), VLOPs have extra obligations to manage systemic risks.
The Berlin-headquartered company said in a statement that the European Commission "did not take into account the majority retail nature" of its business model and argued that it "does not present a 'systemic risk' of disseminating harmful or illegal content from third parties." It also accuses the EU of having irregular methodology on how it decides who is and who isn't a VLOP – if the point is to protect people, its inclusion is misguided, is the apparent argument.
www.theregister.com
