• Mehr als 3 Millionen Wörter Inhalt
  • |
  • in**@********aw.com
  • |
  • Tel: 03322 5078053
Rechtsanwalt Marian Härtel - ITMediaLaw

No products in the cart.

  • en English
  • de Deutsch
  • Informationen
    • Ideal partner
    • About lawyer Marian Härtel
    • Quick and flexible access
    • Principles as a lawyer
    • Why a lawyer and business consultant?
    • Focus areas of attorney Marian Härtel
      • Focus on start-ups
      • Investment advice
      • Corporate law
      • Cryptocurrencies, Blockchain and Games
      • AI and SaaS
      • Streamers and influencers
      • Games and esports law
      • IT/IP Law
      • Law firm for GMBH,UG, GbR
      • Law firm for IT/IP and media law
    • The everyday life of an IT lawyer
    • How can I help clients?
    • Testimonials
    • Team: Saskia Härtel – WHO AM I?
    • Agile and lean law firm
    • Price overview
    • Various information
      • Terms
      • Privacy policy
      • Imprint
  • Services
    • Support and advice of agencies
    • Contract review and preparation
    • Games law consulting
    • Consulting for influencers and streamers
    • Advice in e-commerce
    • DLT and Blockchain consulting
    • Legal advice in corporate law: from incorporation to structuring
    • Legal compliance and expert opinions
    • Outsourcing – for companies or law firms
    • Booking as speaker
  • News
    • Gloss / Opinion
    • Law on the Internet
    • Online retail
    • Law and computer games
    • Law and Esport
    • Blockchain and web law
    • Data protection Law
    • Copyright
    • Labour law
    • Competition law
    • Corporate
    • EU law
    • Law on the protection of minors
    • Tax
    • Other
    • Internally
  • Podcast
    • ITMediaLaw Podcast
  • Knowledge base
    • Laws
    • Legal terms
    • Contract types
    • Clause types
    • Forms of financing
    • Legal means
    • Authorities
    • Company forms
    • Tax
    • Concepts
  • Videos
    • Information videos – about Marian Härtel
    • Videos – about me (Couch)
    • Blogpost – individual videos
    • Videos on services
    • Shorts
    • Podcast format
    • Third-party videos
    • Other videos
  • Contact
Kurzberatung
  • Informationen
    • Ideal partner
    • About lawyer Marian Härtel
    • Quick and flexible access
    • Principles as a lawyer
    • Why a lawyer and business consultant?
    • Focus areas of attorney Marian Härtel
      • Focus on start-ups
      • Investment advice
      • Corporate law
      • Cryptocurrencies, Blockchain and Games
      • AI and SaaS
      • Streamers and influencers
      • Games and esports law
      • IT/IP Law
      • Law firm for GMBH,UG, GbR
      • Law firm for IT/IP and media law
    • The everyday life of an IT lawyer
    • How can I help clients?
    • Testimonials
    • Team: Saskia Härtel – WHO AM I?
    • Agile and lean law firm
    • Price overview
    • Various information
      • Terms
      • Privacy policy
      • Imprint
  • Services
    • Support and advice of agencies
    • Contract review and preparation
    • Games law consulting
    • Consulting for influencers and streamers
    • Advice in e-commerce
    • DLT and Blockchain consulting
    • Legal advice in corporate law: from incorporation to structuring
    • Legal compliance and expert opinions
    • Outsourcing – for companies or law firms
    • Booking as speaker
  • News
    • Gloss / Opinion
    • Law on the Internet
    • Online retail
    • Law and computer games
    • Law and Esport
    • Blockchain and web law
    • Data protection Law
    • Copyright
    • Labour law
    • Competition law
    • Corporate
    • EU law
    • Law on the protection of minors
    • Tax
    • Other
    • Internally
  • Podcast
    • ITMediaLaw Podcast
  • Knowledge base
    • Laws
    • Legal terms
    • Contract types
    • Clause types
    • Forms of financing
    • Legal means
    • Authorities
    • Company forms
    • Tax
    • Concepts
  • Videos
    • Information videos – about Marian Härtel
    • Videos – about me (Couch)
    • Blogpost – individual videos
    • Videos on services
    • Shorts
    • Podcast format
    • Third-party videos
    • Other videos
  • Contact
Rechtsanwalt Marian Härtel - ITMediaLaw

BGH decides on abuse of rights with regard to Umwelthilfe

7. November 2022
in Competition law
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
0
p palais2013 mitbrunnen miletzki internet

The First Civil Senate of the German Federal Court of Justice, which is responsible among other things for claims under the Unfair Competition Act, has ruled that an action for an injunction by Deutsche Umwelthilfe (German Environmental Aid) against a car dealership’s advertising that does not contain all the legally required consumer information on official fuel consumption and CO2 emissions cannot be countered with the objection of abuse of rights.

Facts:

The plaintiff is Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V., an organization included in the list of qualified entities pursuant to Section 4 para. 1 UKlaG registered consumer association. The defendant operates a car dealership and advertised a new vehicle on its website. For information on official fuel consumption as well as CO2 emissions, the advertising referred to a guide available at the dealership. The plaintiff considers this to be a violation of the Regulation on Consumer Information on Fuel Consumption, CO2 Emissions and Electricity Consumption of New Passenger Cars (Passenger Car Energy Consumption Labeling Regulation) and has filed a claim against the defendant for injunctive relief. The defendant considers the action to be an abuse of rights and unfounded on the merits.

Previous process history:

The district court upheld the action. The defendant’s appeal against this decision was unsuccessful. The Court of Appeal assumed that the action was precluded by the defense of abuse of rights under Section 8 (8) of the German Civil Code. 4 UWG** does not prevent this. In particular, the surpluses achieved by the plaintiff with its market monitoring and their use as well as the amount of the remuneration paid to its managing directors did not suggest any abuse of rights, even in the overall view of all circumstances.

Decision of the Federal Court of Justice:

The Federal Court of Justice dismissed the defendant’s appeal, which was limited to questions of the admissibility of the action. The objection of abuse of rights from § 8 para. 4 sentence 1 UWG** was rightly denied by the court of appeal.

Surpluses from market monitoring activities and their use (also) for purposes other than the prosecution of competition violations in the interest of consumers are at least not an indication of an abusive assertion of claims as long as consumer protection through market monitoring is not merely pretended as the purpose of the association, but in fact only serves to generate income and thus to finance projects that do not serve consumer protection through the prosecution of competition violations. That is not the case here. If there are a large number of violations of a labeling or information obligation serving consumer protection, effective enforcement of consumer interests requires a corresponding large number of warnings and – if no cease-and-desist declarations are issued – legal proceedings. As long as there are no further circumstances, the number of warnings and cease-and-desist actions alone and the resulting surpluses cannot justify an accusation of abuse of rights. Otherwise, the plaintiff would be forced to discontinue its market monitoring after a certain number of warnings or contractual penalties had been obtained, as soon as it had covered its costs incurred in this respect.

Nor does the amount of the remuneration paid to the two managing directors indicate an intention to make a profit that would give rise to suspicion of abuse of rights. In addition to the expenses for an activity of the plaintiff in accordance with the articles of association, the salaries of the managing directors in each of the years 2015 and 2016 accounted for only a fraction of the plaintiff’s total annual expenses. This rules out the possibility that the plaintiff’s real purpose is to generate revenue for personnel costs rather than to pursue consumer interests.

The plaintiff’s preliminary statement of the amount in dispute of €30,000 for the action for an injunction does not constitute any indication of an abuse of rights in the pursuit of the claim, taking into account the generally inconsistent practice of the Higher Regional Courts. According to the findings of the Court of Appeal, the lump-sum warning fee demanded by the plaintiff covers the costs and does not indicate any abusive profit-making intent. The contributions to the plaintiff in the form of donations and sponsoring by Toyota also do not justify the assumption of an abuse of rights; according to the findings of the Court of Appeal, they did not lead to an unobjective unequal treatment of Toyota in the prosecution of environmental, consumer-relevant legal violations or in the campaigning of the plaintiff.

Marian Härtel
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: BghConsumerConsumer protectionContractual penaltyDeclaration of injunctionFederal courtInformationinternetLaw against Unfair CompetitionLawsuitRegulationSponsorWarning

Weitere spannende Blogposts

New concept of material defects and computer games – what do you have to consider from 2022?

judge plays videogames in his spare time
7. November 2022

In a somewhat longer blog article, I just reported information about the new material defect concept for digital content, which...

Read moreDetails

BFH and the taxation of gains from the sale of cryptocurrencies?

Bitcoin trading not subject to licensing
27. January 2023

What has been decided so far? Gains realized from the sale of cryptocurrencies are subject to income tax as part...

Read moreDetails

Weight and number of pieces for prepackaged sweets must be available

MDR may delete comments without broadcast reference on its Facebook page
14. March 2023

According to the EU Food Information Regulation (LMIV), the packaging of a food product intended for sale that contains several...

Read moreDetails

GAME founds exploitation company!

GAME founds exploitation company!
31. May 2023

In an exciting but certainly trend-setting development, the GAME Bundesverband, the leading association of the German computer games industry, has...

Read moreDetails

Public consultation on copyright reform

copyright
7. November 2022

The Federal Ministry of Justice and for Consumer Protection (BMJV) is conducting a public consultation on the implementation of the...

Read moreDetails

OLG Cologne allows advertising without bottle deposit

OLG Cologne allows advertising without bottle deposit
7. November 2022

Competition association, which wanted to achieve this from two large retail chains, was now also defeated in the second instance...

Read moreDetails

Buying bread rolls like on the Internet?

Buying bread rolls like on the Internet?
7. November 2022

At the end of the day ;) https://twitter.com/i/status/1217004373970161664

Read moreDetails

German courts have jurisdiction at .de Domain

German courts have jurisdiction at .de Domain
20. March 2019

Time and again, especially with international Internet portals, the question arises as to whether German courts have jurisdiction, for example...

Read moreDetails

The power of arbitration: key benefits and potential pitfalls for contracts

The power of arbitration: key benefits and potential pitfalls for contracts
26. June 2023

Arbitration plays an essential role in the modern business world. Arbitration can be used to resolve disputes between parties outside...

Read moreDetails
More consumer protection when buying apps and software

Pseudo self-employment

11. April 2025

Most important points Pseudo self-employment exists if a person working as a freelancer is integrated into the company under the...

Read moreDetails
Data economy

Data economy

16. October 2024
co produktionsvertrag

Co-production contract

26. June 2023
Arbitration clause

Arbitration clause

16. October 2024
European Parliament

European Parliament

30. June 2023

Podcast Folgen

Der IT Media Law Podcast. Folge Nr. 1: Worum geht es hier eigentlich?

Der IT Media Law Podcast. Folge Nr. 1: Worum geht es hier eigentlich?

26. August 2024

Yeah, die erste richtige Folge mit mir selbst! In diesem Podcast tauchen wir ein in die spannende Welt des IT-Rechts...

Blick in die Zukunft: Wie Technologie das Recht verändert

Blick in die Zukunft: Wie Technologie das Recht verändert

18. February 2025

In der letzten Folge der ersten Staffel des ITmedialaw.com Podcasts werfen wir einen Blick in die Zukunft des Rechts im...

Legal challenges when implementing confidential computing: data protection and encryption in the cloud

Smart Contracts und Blockchain

22. December 2024

In dieser fesselnden Podcast-Episode tauch ich tief in die Welt der Blockchain-Technologie und Smart Contracts ein. Die 25-minütige Folge beleuchtet,...

Rechtliche Risiken bei langen Entwicklungszeiten und der Stornierung von Crowdfundingspielen

Rechtliche Risiken bei langen Entwicklungszeiten und der Stornierung von Crowdfundingspielen

20. April 2025

In dieser Episode erörtern wir die rechtlichen Herausforderungen, denen Spieleentwickler bei der Finanzierung durch Crowdfunding gegenüberstehen. Wir beleuchten die Verpflichtungen...

  • Privacy policy
  • Imprint
  • Contact
  • About lawyer Marian Härtel
Marian Härtel, Rathenaustr. 58a, 14612 Falkensee, info@itmedialaw.com

Marian Härtel - Rechtsanwalt für IT-Recht, Medienrecht und Startups, mit einem Fokus auf innovative Geschäftsmodelle, Games, KI und Finanzierungsberatung.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
  • Informationen
    • Ideal partner
    • About lawyer Marian Härtel
    • Quick and flexible access
    • Principles as a lawyer
    • Why a lawyer and business consultant?
    • Focus areas of attorney Marian Härtel
      • Focus on start-ups
      • Investment advice
      • Corporate law
      • Cryptocurrencies, Blockchain and Games
      • AI and SaaS
      • Streamers and influencers
      • Games and esports law
      • IT/IP Law
      • Law firm for GMBH,UG, GbR
      • Law firm for IT/IP and media law
    • The everyday life of an IT lawyer
    • How can I help clients?
    • Testimonials
    • Team: Saskia Härtel – WHO AM I?
    • Agile and lean law firm
    • Price overview
    • Various information
      • Terms
      • Privacy policy
      • Imprint
  • Services
    • Support and advice of agencies
    • Contract review and preparation
    • Games law consulting
    • Consulting for influencers and streamers
    • Advice in e-commerce
    • DLT and Blockchain consulting
    • Legal advice in corporate law: from incorporation to structuring
    • Legal compliance and expert opinions
    • Outsourcing – for companies or law firms
    • Booking as speaker
  • News
    • Gloss / Opinion
    • Law on the Internet
    • Online retail
    • Law and computer games
    • Law and Esport
    • Blockchain and web law
    • Data protection Law
    • Copyright
    • Labour law
    • Competition law
    • Corporate
    • EU law
    • Law on the protection of minors
    • Tax
    • Other
    • Internally
  • Podcast
    • ITMediaLaw Podcast
  • Knowledge base
    • Laws
    • Legal terms
    • Contract types
    • Clause types
    • Forms of financing
    • Legal means
    • Authorities
    • Company forms
    • Tax
    • Concepts
  • Videos
    • Information videos – about Marian Härtel
    • Videos – about me (Couch)
    • Blogpost – individual videos
    • Videos on services
    • Shorts
    • Podcast format
    • Third-party videos
    • Other videos
  • Contact
  • en English
  • de Deutsch
Kostenlose Kurzberatung