“Digital Services and Markets Act” enters into force

Today, the Digital Services Act came into force and will apply in all EU countries from February 17, 2024. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) was adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on September 14, 2022, and published in the Official Journal on October 12, 2022. The EU Digital Markets Act(DMA) came into force on November 1, 2022 (20 days after publication in the Official Journal) and will apply from May 2, 2023.

Key Facts

The Digital Services Act comes into force today and will apply in all EU member states from February 17, 2024.
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) was adopted on September 14, 2022 and has been in force since May 2, 2023.
The law updates the 20-year-old e-commerce directive and creates uniform rules for intermediary services.
Standardized procedures for reporting and removing illegal content will be introduced throughout Europe.
Additional due diligence obligations apply to very large online platforms.
The DMA limits the power of market-dominating digital groups and has established a code of conduct.
Stricter rules apply to central online platforms, which are not allowed to give preference to their own offers.

The law will supplement and update parts of the e-commerce directive, which is now 20 years old. It provides for uniform horizontal rules on due diligence and disclaimers for intermediary services (such as online platforms) and thus aims to contribute to a safe, predictable and trustworthy online environment and the smooth functioning of the EU single market for intermediary services.

This also includes ensuring that the procedures for reporting and promptly removing illegal content are standardized across Europe in the future. There are also additional due diligence requirements for very large online platforms.

The Digital MarketsAct, in turn, supplements competition law and limits the power of dominant digital corporations. In it, the EU Commission sets out a code of conduct for major digital companies. Central online platforms such as search engines, social networks and online brokerage services will be subject to stricter rules in the future: For example, they will no longer be allowed to give preference to their own offerings in the ranking.

A summary of the regulations and objectives can be found directly at the EU under this link – but in English. The German version can be found here.

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.