Facebook cannot insist on a translation of German-language documents into English in a legal dispute with a German user. This was decided by the 7th Civil Senate of the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf (file number I-7 W 66/19).

Key Facts

The Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court ruled that Facebook cannot demand an English translation.
A man from Düsseldorf obtained a temporary injunction against Facebook.
The service of the order was legally valid even without an English translation.
The 7th Civil Senate argued that Facebook must have sufficient language skills.
The decision also applies to Instagram and all users.
This decision significantly reduces the cost risk for users.
The content of the disputed contribution was irrelevant for the judgment.

In September 2018, a man from Düsseldorf obtained an injunction at the Regional Court of Düsseldorf prohibiting the Irish-based company Facebook from blocking the man for posting a specific text on Facebook or deleting the post. He had this injunction sent to Facebook without english translation. Facebook argued that the company did not understand the content and needed an English translation.

The 7th Civil Senate does not accept this in its decision. For language comprehension, it is the organisation of the company as a whole that is important. Facebook has a large number of users in Germany, to whom the platform is made fully available in German. The contractual documents used in this process were also held in German. Concrete formulations in the terms of use could be derived from in-depth knowledge of the German language and German law.

The Senate had to deal with this question because the man from Düsseldorf claims the costs of his costs of around EUR 730. This requires the notification of the injunction. The effectiveness of this service had to be clarified by the Senate.

The content of the post, which was not to be deleted, was irrelevant to the decision.

The decision is therefore also applicable to Instagram. If you are blocked illegally on Instagram, be it as an advertiser or as a different user, you can seek legal help. There is still a risk of costs, but it is massively mitigated if no certified translation of the application or application has to be commissioned.

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: Düsseldorf Regional Court Facebook Instagram Lawsuit