Berlin Administrative Court rehabilitates Jusprog – provisionally

This is currently good news for streamers and YouTubers, as well as everyone who has to face youth protection issues on the Internet, especially in connection with computer games.

For example, the Berlin Administrative Court found that the decision by Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle Multimedia-Diensteanbieter e.V. (Voluntary Self-Monitoring of Multimedia Service Providers) regarding the assessment of JusProg as a suitable program for the protection of minors was not objectionable. Although this is only an expedited procedure and thus a summary review, the finding that the FSM did not exceed its scope of assessment in its evaluation is an important sign.

In May, the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media had declared the FSM’s recognition invalid(see this news item). The court now provisionally assumes that the KJM’s decision is unlawful.

The decision confirms that a youth protection program can be suitable within the meaning of the law even if it is only available for one operating system. This means that cross-platform and cross-system availability is not required. The court reached this conclusion after a comprehensive analysis of the legal basis in the Interstate Treaty on the Protection of Minors in the Media.

For providers of online content, the decision means that the labeling of websites that impair development with a technical age rating (“age-de.xml label”) is possible again with legal certainty for the time being and that they are not solely dependent on broadcasting time restrictions. This now applies throughout the main proceedings, which can take several years.

The FSM’s independent expert commission had decided in due process in March that the new version of the youth protection program JusProg for Windows meets the legal requirements of the Interstate Treaty on the Protection of Minors in the Media. After the KJM overturned this decision and declared the cancellation to be immediately enforceable, the FSM brought an action before the Berlin Administrative Court. With the present decision in the summary proceedings, the FSM assessment continues to apply.