BGH on consumer information on advertising materials

The almost innumerable consumer protection standards often require that the consumer information is placed directly on the advertising material, first and foremost among others the information obligations from Art 246a EGBGB, e.g. if this triggers a distance selling transaction with the customer without further action. However, the same applies to other references.

Of course, this is not always possible and so this fact also leads to legal disputes time and again. Recently, the BGH has commented on this.

For the question of whether all the provisions in Art. 6 para. 1 of Directive 2011/83/EU can be objectively presented in an advertising medium, it is then relevant what proportion of the available space of the advertising medium selected by the entrepreneur this information would take up; the advertising message does not have to take a back seat to the consumer information.

This is regularly not the case if the mandatory consumer information does not require more than one fifth of the space available for a specific print advertisement when using a typeface appropriate for the average addressee of the advertisement.

It should be noted, however, that Art. 246a § 1 para. 2 sentence 1 no. 1 of the Introductory Act to the Introductory Act to the German Civil Code (EGBGB) also includes the obligation of the trader to enclose the model withdrawal form with the means of distance communication used for his advertising – such as an advertising brochure. However, if more than one
fifth of the space available for the specific print advertising is required for the mandatory consumer information together with the model withdrawal form, the form does not have to be printed in the advertising and its content can be communicated in other ways in clear and comprehensible language.

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.