Cookie banner “On continued use….” illegal

Many consumers might be annoyed by the cookie banners on any websites. As a consumer, I can well understand this and, even as a data protection lawyer, I consider the banners to be superfluous and, in case of doubt, counterproductive with regard to the acceptance of data protection issues.

Key Facts

Many consumers find cookie banners annoying.
Even data protection lawyers often consider the banners to be superfluous.
The Regional Court of Cologne ruled that certain formulations in cookie banners are unlawful.
The wording "By continuing to use the website, you agree... to" is inadmissible.
The necessary consent of the website visitor is missing.
Explicit consent is required for user profiles for advertising purposes.
The problem of corresponding warnings remains legally relevant.

However, the legal situation is different and also courts tightened the situation. The Regional Court of Cologne has just ruled that a cookie banner with the wording “By continuing to use the website, you agree… to” is unlawful.

The wording and design would not be consistent with § 15 para.3 TMG, as the necessary consent of the website visitor concerned would be lacking. According to the case law of the Federal Court of Justice (BGH), the statutory provision is to be interpreted as requiring express consent for the creation of user profiles for advertising purposes.

This was not the case in the present case, because the mere continued use of the website could not be seen as implied consent.

The problem of corresponding warnings has decreased since December 2020 (see this contribution). However, this only concerns the financial aspects, not the legal issue as such.

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: Bgh Case law Cologne Regional Court Consumer KI Laws Legal question Privacy Warning