No products in the cart.
Data protection: UK soon to be an insecure third country?
Brexit is likely to keep lawyers, authorities and courts busy for a long time to come. Just recently in this...
Read moreDetailsDesignation as “Gollum” is an insult
Key Facts
- The Munich Regional Court ruled that the term "Gollum" can be offensive.
- The decision is based on a complaint by a scientist concerned.
- The name in a flyer comes from a citizens' movement.
- Gollum from "The Lord of the Rings" is a character with negative connotations.
- The use of the name here was derogatory.
- There was no satirical context.
- The news shows what German courts are dealing with.
As a self-confessed “Lord of the Rings” fan, I simply had to post a blog article on a recent decision by the Munich Regional Court.
The court ruled that calling a person “Gollum” can be insulting and thus violate the right of personality of the person concerned. (25 O 12738/22).
The scientist in question had been appropriately named by a citizens’ movement in a flyer, the report said. The reason for this, he said, was that the Tokien novel character Gollum from “The Lord of the Rings” is not a being with a positive connotation. Therefore, the designation “Gollum” had been disparaging in the specific case. There was also no satirical context in the facts of the case.
Once again a news item in the matter of “What German courts do not have to deal with all”.
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.
Weitere spannende Blogposts
BGH: Press organ may publish unsolicited book manuscripts
The Federal Court of Justice ruled that the publication of book articles by a member of the Bundestag on an...
Read moreDetailsOLG Düsseldorf allows tight best price clauses
An internet booking portal may oblige hotel operators not to offer hotel rooms on their own website at a lower...
Read moreDetailsAttention: Fine for geoblocking!
Alongside the Packaging Act, for which there are articles here and here, the EU's Geo-blocking Regulation is probably one of...
Read moreDetailsAI can do more, where else is it going?
In the last few weeks, I've been getting more and more involved with AI and what else SaaS platforms can...
Read moreDetailsEU adopts copyright reform
The more than controversial copyright reform were finally implemented today and a majority of the states of the EU have...
Read moreDetailsChildren’s photos online? Both parents must agree
The OLG Oldenburg has decided that the publication of photos of a child on the Internet is a matter of...
Read moreDetailsGuide: Advertising labelling in social media offers
Now I have already written many times about the topic of influencers, separation bids or advertising labels in the blog...
Read moreDetailsDefamation via Whatsapp justifies termination without notice
The topic of WhatsApp and the legal consequences of careless messages has often been a topic here on the blog....
Read moreDetails
Service Information Obligations Ordinance (DL-InfoV)
Legal definition and context of origin The Service Information Obligations Ordinance (DL-InfoV) is a federal ordinance with a complex history....
Read moreDetails
Podcast Folgen
The role of the IT lawyer
In this exciting podcast episode, we delve into the fascinating world of IT start-ups and find out why an experienced...
The metaverse – legal challenges in virtual worlds
In this fascinating episode, we dive deep into the legal aspects of the metaverse. As a lawyer and tech enthusiast,...
Web3, blockchain and law – a critical review
In this insightful episode of the ITmedialaw podcast, we take an in-depth look at the intersection of Web3, blockchain...
Startups and innovation in Germany – challenges and opportunities
This insightful podcast episode takes an in-depth look at the startup and innovation landscape in Germany and Europe. The discussion...