Case Citation
Legal Case Name

Cullinane v. Uber Technologies, Inc. Case Brief

Court of Appeals for the First Circuit2018Docket #7273113
893 F.3d 53 Contracts Civil Procedure Internet Law

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Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis

General Brief
3 min read

tl;dr: Uber sought to compel arbitration against users suing over improper fees. The court refused, finding that the hyperlink to Uber’s terms of service in its app was not conspicuous enough to provide reasonable notice, meaning the users never validly agreed to the terms.

Legal Significance: This case establishes that for online contracts, the conspicuousness of a hyperlink to terms depends on the entire visual context of the user interface. If other design elements are equally or more prominent, notice may be deemed insufficient to form a binding agreement.

Cullinane v. Uber Technologies, Inc. Law School Study Guide

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Case Facts & Court Holding

Key Facts & Case Background

Plaintiffs registered for Uber’s ride-sharing service through its mobile app between 2012 and 2014. The registration process required users to proceed through several screens. On the final payment screen, users entered credit card or PayPal information. Near the bottom of this screen, text stated, “By creating an Uber account, you agree to the,” followed by the phrase “Terms of Service & Privacy Policy” displayed in white bold text inside a gray rectangular box. This box was a hyperlink, but it was not blue or underlined. The screen also contained other visually prominent elements, including large buttons, icons, and capitalized text. Users were not required to click the hyperlink or check an “I agree” box to complete registration. The linked Terms of Service contained a mandatory arbitration clause. Plaintiffs filed a class action suit alleging Uber charged improper fees, and Uber moved to compel arbitration based on its Terms of Service.

Court Holding & Legal Precedent

Issue: Did the user interface in Uber’s mobile app registration process provide reasonably conspicuous notice of its Terms of Service, including a mandatory arbitration clause, such that the plaintiffs unambiguously assented to be bound by them?

No. The court held that Uber failed to prove the existence of Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur s

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Legal Issue

Did the user interface in Uber’s mobile app registration process provide reasonably conspicuous notice of its Terms of Service, including a mandatory arbitration clause, such that the plaintiffs unambiguously assented to be bound by them?

Conclusion

This case provides a significant precedent for assessing contract formation in the Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercit

Legal Rule

Under Massachusetts law, terms in an online adhesion contract are enforceable only Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Legal Analysis

The court applied Massachusetts contract formation principles, focusing on whether Uber provided Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore

Flash-to-Full Case Opinions

Flash Summary

  • Uber’s arbitration clause was held unenforceable because users were not given
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Ex

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