OLG Frankfurt on the expression of opinion due to cooperation Querdenker movement

17. July 2023

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Key Facts

The plaintiff is taking legal action against the statement that she works "with supporters of the lateral thinking movement".
The Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main ruled that there was no entitlement to injunctive relief; it was an expression of opinion.
The term "lateral thinking movement" has been described as vague and is a heterogeneous initiative.
The defendant inferred from statements made by four named persons that they belonged to the movement.
Factual evidence for the assessment was provided by the defendant.
The plaintiff indisputably worked together with all four persons, which was sufficiently clear to the reader.
The decision of the OLG is not contestable.

The plaintiff objects, among other things, to the statement published in the defendant national daily newspaper, according to which it cooperates “with supporters of the lateral thinking movement. In a decision published today, the Frankfurt am Main Higher Regional Court (OLG) ruled that it is not entitled to injunctive relief in this respect. This is an expression of opinion. The report provided sufficient factual evidence for this value judgement.

Among other things, the plaintiff provides consulting services as a so-called profiler and appears as a speaker at events. The defendant national daily newspaper reported on the plaintiff’s participation as an expert in a television program. In the summary proceedings, the plaintiff challenges, among other things, the statement in the report that it cooperates “with supporters of the lateral thinking movement.”

The Regional Court had granted its request for an injunction in this respect. The newspaper’s appeal against this decision was successful before the Higher Regional Court. The plaintiff was not entitled to injunctive relief, the OLG said in justifying its decision. The challenged statement is a value judgment and thus a statement of opinion. The term “lateral thinker” movement is fuzzy, he said.

It described, after the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, “an extremely heterogeneous initiative that cannot be clearly outlined, which denies the pandemic or the Corona virus, rejects protective measures by the state to combat and contain the Corona pandemic, and also spreads conspiracy narratives in the process,” the OLG defined. The defendant had concluded from statements and contacts with four persons named in the article that these persons were to be assigned to the movement.

The defendant had also provided factual evidence for this assessment. For its part, the plaintiff had indisputably cooperated with all four persons. The reader understands this to mean that the plaintiff is working with the individuals for specific goals or on the same thing together.

It remains open what the goals/areas/tasks of the collaboration are. It was sufficient that the four persons were listed on the plaintiff’s publishing website alongside others as “hand-picked authors” working for it. The article also offers the reader no indication that the cooperation is connected with the “lateral thinking movement”.

The decision cannot be challenged.

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.

Tags: Expression