Fortnite Fan article: Attention warning danger!

Currently, I can only warn against offering unauthorized fan items from Fortnite, the manufacturer Epic Games, such as the replica of the Loot lama, mugs or stickers on trading platforms such as Ebay or Amazon. I currently have several warnings from Epic Games.

The law firm Beiten Burkhardt makes a violation of Section 8 (1 U)WG on the basis of the violation of Sections 3, 4 (4) of the 3 (a) and b) UWG asserted. The takeover of the illustrations from “Fortnite” and the offering of the corresponding products under the name “Fortnite” are clear references to the the “Fortnite” world and are worthy of unfair exploitation of the good reputation of “Fortnite” and to promotion of its own sales.

This would increase the prestige and This would exploit the prestige and image value of the “Fortnite” world for its own commercial purposes, creating a risk of confusion, which already exists, if the public is given the erroneous impression that there is a legal, commercial, organizational legal, commercial, organizational or s or otherother relationships relationships that would authorize the vendor to sell merchandise products for the “Fortnite” world.

Such business behaviorthe BGH already in 1959 in the “Bambi” decision forbidden and aptly as “unfair parasitizing on and a violation of the general clause of the Unfair Competition Act (UWG). clause.

In addition, Epic Games isasserting trademark rights to the well-known trademark “Fortnite” and soon also to the trademark “Fortnite” (UM 017947714), which gives rise to a claim for injunctive relief under Sec. 14 Abs. 5 MarkenG should follow.

Whether this really is the case is a matter of whether. Also whether the warnings are really justified. However, Epic Games warns against very high litigation values, which quickly incur legal fees in the four-digit range, and also demands claims for damages and information.

Commercial activities should therefore be discussed with a specialist lawyer beforehand and any suppliers, especially currently from the Far East, should be closely scrutinised. But private providers should also be careful. Epic Games asserts copyright claims in addition to claims under competition law. Claims arising from copyright are not subject to the condition of industrial activity or the competitive status. In this case, the fact that the items were purchased in advance, for example on Amazon, may not protect the fact that the items were purchased in advance. In that case, it is necessary to examine whether those dealers were allowed to import the goods into Europe with the consent of Epic Games. If this is not the case because, for example, a sticker, sticker or key fob was produced and shipped from China, a resale in Germany may also constitute a copyright infringement for private dealers and the so-called principle of exhaustion does not provide any justification.

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.