Score it as a big victory for Uber.
The United Kingdom's High Court ruled in favor of the company, claiming Uber's app doesn't run on a smartphone taximeter and is therefore legal in London.
The central argument, which stemmed from earlier this month, was whether or not Uber's app on a smartphone should count as a taximeter. The local Transport for London governing body had already ruled that the company's app isn't a taximeter, but left it for the High Court to make a final decision on.
Well, presiding judge Lord Justice Ouseley ruled in favor of Uber, telling The Guardian: "A taximeter, for the purposes of section 11 of the Private Hire Vehicles Act 1998, does not include a device that receives GPS signals in the course of a journey, and forwards GPS data to a server located outside of the vehicle, which server calculates a fare that is partially or wholly determined by reference to distance travelled and time taken and sends the fare information back to the device."
Essentially, the app on the smartphone could not be deciphered as a taximeter because smartphones are able to receive GPS signals, which a taximeter can't.
Uber was pleased with the ruling, telling The Guardian: "Now the high court has ruled in favor of new technology, we hope Transport for London will think again on their bureaucratic proposals for apps like Uber."
Although the ruling marks a significant win for Uber, the company will still face other challenges in London. Ars Technica has reported that London Mayor Boris Johnson has already said that impending regulations will see to it that Uber drivers pass a knowledge test similar to the one that desiring black-cab drivers must pass in the U.K.
That and Transport for London began a public forum about "modernizing private hire regulations" two weeks ago — an act that's reportedly aimed at stifling Uber.
Still, Uber doesn't seem like it's going to be hindered by such potential threats to its world expansion, having just launched in Glasgow, Scotland, on Friday, Oct. 16.
