LG Munich: Affiliate links must be sufficiently identified!

Important verdict

Recently, the Higher Regional Court made a highly interesting ruling on the issue of labeling affiliate links (see my article on this in this post), of which I claim that 95% of the relevant agencies in the affiliate marketing sector are unaware and the remaining 5% are unaware of the implications.

I had already warned some clients, such as streamers, influencers and esports teams, because the risk of warning is likely to be at least as high as in the case of a lack of advertising labelling by influencers on Instagram.

I should be right, because I have just become aware of another judgment of the Munich Regional Court, which strikes the same notch.

What do You need to specify?

The latter decided that a website operator posting posts on its website must state sufficiently clearly that it participates in an affiliate partner program and receives a corresponding commission for the linked products. The fact that links in editorial contributions would generate commission claims for the publisher constitutes essential information within the meaning of Paragraph 5a of the UWG.

In the absence of labelling, the average consumer expects that links in editorial texts would otherwise be neutral, independent statements. Pure links are not obvious as advertising, as is the case, for example, with banner advertising.

A lack of labelling and thus deception of the user could lead to an influence on his purchasing decision, which is anti-competitive in this situation.

Warnings will follow

It is to be expected that warnings on this issue will increase in the coming months and that other courts will join the quite convincing case law. The first judgments, in conjunction with the influencer case law, provided quite precise indications as to when and how not only things such as product recommendations, but also paid links must be marked.

I can give comprehensive advice on this issue and, through my more than 15 years of professional experience in the operation and construction of brand agencies, not only give sensible advice from a business point of view, but also to review, prepare or optimise relevant contracts. .

Author: Marian Härtel

Marian Härtel ist Rechtsanwalt und Fachanwalt für IT-Recht mit einer über 25-jährigen Erfahrung als Unternehmer und Berater in den Bereichen Games, E-Sport, Blockchain, SaaS und Künstliche Intelligenz. Seine Beratungsschwerpunkte umfassen neben dem IT-Recht insbesondere das Urheberrecht, Medienrecht sowie Wettbewerbsrecht. Er betreut schwerpunktmäßig Start-ups, Agenturen und Influencer, die er in strategischen Fragen, komplexen Vertragsangelegenheiten sowie bei Investitionsprojekten begleitet. Dabei zeichnet sich seine Beratung durch einen interdisziplinären Ansatz aus, der juristische Expertise und langjährige unternehmerische Erfahrung miteinander verbindet. Ziel seiner Tätigkeit ist stets, Mandanten praxisorientierte Lösungen anzubieten und rechtlich fundierte Unterstützung bei der Umsetzung innovativer Geschäftsmodelle zu gewährleisten.