US company Airbnb does not require an estate agent's license to operate in France, the EU's top court has ruled.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) said Airbnb, an online marketplace for renting accommodation, wasn't subject to the requirement, which is typically obligatory in French property law. 

The case followed a complaint by French tourism association AHTOP, which said Airbnb was acting as an estate agency but operating without a license. 

The judge hearing the case said: "France cannot require Airbnb to hold an estate agent's professional license as it did not notify the Commission of that requirement in accordance with the directive on electronic commerce."

Airbnb has also been taken to court in recent years in New York, Amsterdam, Berlin and Paris after being accused by several hoteliers and authorities of worsening housing shortage situations and forcing lower-income residents out of areas. 

Ira Spitzer, CGTN Europe's correspondent, clears up some of your questions about the case in the video below.