Key Facts

The majority of courts agree that monetary benefits for influencers are irrelevant.
The decisive factor is whether influencers earn money with content or at least intend to do so.
It is often not possible to separate private and advertising content.
The Regional Court of Cologne has already decided cases against influencers, despite the duty to retain a lawyer.
An influencer did not sufficiently justify her decision to impose a fine.
Discounts on the purchase of goods do not constitute a commercial act, according to their argumentation.
The court emphasized that financial benefits without monetary transactions also constitute business activities.

In the meantime, you can find a large number of posts on my blog about being an influencer and the relevant case law on this. In this regard, the vast majority of courts agree that it is not relevant that an influencer receives money or other benefits, such as the free transfer of goods. The decisive factor is rather whether one earns money as an influencer with one’s own content (whereby it is already sufficient if this is only the goal of the activity), which is why, according to the courts, a separation of private and promotional content is usually not possible.

Knowing this, proceedings at the Cologne Regional Court seem strange, even without the fact that it has already ruled against Influencer. This is especially true since there is an attorney requirement at the district court.

In fact, the influencer did not even defend herself by saying that no consideration was given for her content on Instagram. Rather, it claimed that it had only been granted discounts when purchasing goods, which is why there was allegedly no commercial act and advertising labeling was not necessary.

This rather strange opinion resulted in a fine of 12,000 euros.

The Regional Court of Cologne emphasized that a commercial act is of course not only present when money flows directly, but also when one receives financial benefits in other ways.

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: Blog Case law Cologne Regional Court Discount Influencer Instagram