Paris court to Apple Stores: No more breaking 9 p.m. curfew
The court prohibits late-night work at the retail outlets and orders Apple to pay damages to the unions that filed suit against the company.
Apple has been hit with a fine and new regulations by a Paris court that has taken aim at the company's alleged after-hours work in France.
According to the AFP, which was first to report on the ruling, the Paris Court awarded the unions that sued Apple 10,000 euros ($13,005) for its alleged violations. The court said that in some Apple stores in France, the company was asking employees to work past the 9 p.m. local time curfew in violation of the country's labor laws.
France bans companies from making employees work between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless those activities are necessary to maintain economic success or they provide a social service. Although Apple's stores close at 9 p.m. in France to accommodate that regulation, the labor unions that sued the company argued that it forced employees to clean up and close down the store after 9 p.m. That meant some employees didn't actually leave work until as late as 11 p.m.
According to the AFP, seven of Apple's stores in France have violated the law.
Although Apple has lost one case, the company isn't quite out of the woods yet. According to the AFP, another court plans to make a ruling on the matter on April 16.
CNET has contacted Apple for comment on the legal action. We will update this story when we have more information.
(Via The Verge)