Welcome to the latest edition of AFT NewsWatch, a weekly service of Advocates for Fairness in Transportation, an ad hoc group of regulated transportation service companies dedicated to informing and educating the public on threats to public safety from new so-called ride-sharing or ride-booking services such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar. Visit the Archive to read previous editions.

Could Sidecar's patent trip up Uber, Lyft?

What's the value of a great idea? Last week a man sued Uber, saying the company stole his idea for a ride service that he hatched in 2002. The man says he spent years developing the idea, but it never came to fruition because he didn't get funding. While that case so far rests on flimsy evidence, another man may have a more legitimate claim. Sunil Paul says he had a similar idea even earlier, back in 1997. Paul developed his concept for mobile ride-hailing over a wireless network, applied for a patent in 2000 and was granted U.S. patent 6356838 "System and method for determining an efficient transportation route" in 2002.

Read more from SF Gate

Stabbed Uber driver files class-action lawsuit against tech company

A former Uber driver who was stabbed in the face by a passenger has filed a class-action lawsuit against Uber, alleging the technology company inappropriately classifies its drivers as independent contractors, when they are allegedly employees. The former driver, Abdo Ghazi, also alleges he is owed workers' compensation, which he would get if he were classified as an employee by Uber. To date, Uber has not paid Ghazi for his medical bills or any other costs he bore after the night of the attack.

Read more from The Examiner

Uber says it will 'discourage' its drivers from earning extra cash by placing ads in their cars

Uber has moved to "discourage" drivers from earning extra income by placing ads inside their cars. The move comes after an unofficial in-car advertising service for rideshare and on-demand drivers launched in the US earlier this month. Viewswagen asks drivers to download two apps which sync together: One of their smartphones, and another for a tablet, which can be positioned in the back of their car for passengers to view and play with.

Read more from Business Insider

Lawmakers question Uber background check policy

The popular ride-sharing app Uber recently celebrated its one-year anniversary in Connecticut and claims that 83 percent of people statewide now have access to the mobile-friendly car service. However, questions surrounding Uber's background check policy still linger amid assault and robbery allegations in cities like Chicago and Philadelphia, where Uber has operated for years. In 2014, NBC Los Angeles found loopholes in how the company screens some of its UberX drivers.

Read more from NBC Connecticut

Editorial: Enforce safety rules on ride-share companies

Hillsborough County is right to make ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft comply with reasonable safety regulations. For all the overblown talk about how these companies are innovators, they provide the same service as traditional taxis. The vehicles must be safe and insured and the drivers must pass a background check. In all, the same rules should apply, although Hillsborough's decision to host another round of talks means that this has likely become a matter for the courts to decide.

Read more from the Tampa Bay Times

Ducey: Firing forestalled sting on Uber, Lyft

Gov. Doug Ducey admitted that he fired an agency director shortly after taking office to thwart plans to aggressively enforce state laws regulating those who offer rides for money. Ducey, boasting of accomplishments of his administration to a national Republican leadership meeting, said that shortly after he took office he interviewed Shawn Marquez, director of the Department of Weights and Measures. Against a backdrop of the Super Bowl coming to Arizona, Ducey said Marquez told him, "I'm going to run a sting on Uber and Lyft and shut them down," having undercover officers cite drivers for both companies who were not in compliance with the same background checks and insurance coverage required of traditional taxi companies.

Read more from the Arizona Daily Star

Braintree (Mass.) gives Uber, Lyft the boot

The Braintree, Mass. town license board voted to essentially ban ride-shares like Uber and Lyft. The Patriot Ledger reports the board voted 4-1 that "any company or individual transporting people from place to place" must comply with current taxi regulations. Ride-shares like Uber and Lyft are companies that privately contract drivers and determine their own pricing, safety and insurance regulations. "The town's taxi regulations require vehicle inspections and liability insurance, among other conditions," reports the Patriot Ledger.

Read more from BostInno

Uber Vs. Taxis: One city's incredibly simple solution to the turf war

From coast to coast and overseas, ride share companies like Uber and Lyft are kicking taxi ass, and taxi drivers are urging governments to impose restrictions on them. But last week, the city of Long Beach, Calif. took the opposite tack: encouraging taxis to operate more like ride share companies. It's almost too simple. Because fares and other conditions for the taxi trade are regulated by municipalities, operators can't move with the market on pricing and ease of use. 

Read more from Forbes

Woman said she was assaulted in a car with an Uber decal in Northeast D.C.

D.C. Police said they are looking for a man wanted in an alleged kidnapping and assault of a woman who got into a car that had a decal for the ride-sharing service Uber. The incident occurred about 2:45 a.m. in the area of 11th and G streets NE when the woman accepted a ride from the person in the car. The driver, police said, assaulted the woman and refused to let her out. Uber spokesman Taylor Bennett said in an e-mailed statement that they were "working closely" with police to "support their investigation of this disturbing report in every way we can."

Read more from The Washington Post