Online retailer must inform about manufacturer’s warranty

The LG Bochum has ruled that online retailers must provide information about manufacturer warranties, even if the existence of the warranty is not advertised. In this respect, there is also an obligation to investigate as an online retailer. The latter must inform himself about the existence of any manufacturer’s warranties.

Key Facts

Bochum Regional Court ruled that online retailers must provide information about manufacturers' warranties, even without advertising them.
Online retailers have a duty to investigate the existence of guarantees.
Sellers must actively search for manufacturer warranties in accordance with § 312 d para. 1 sentence 1 BGB.
The seller's duty to inform is comprehensive and not only relevant in the case of obvious guarantees.
The judgment of the Higher Regional Court of Hamm was discussed in the context of warranty information.
The issue of manufacturer's warranties remains a major warning trap for online retailers.
The uncertainty for online retailers regarding warranty obligations continues to be a significant problem.

From the reasons for the decision:

In the opinion of the Chamber (expressly left open by the OLG Hamm, judgment of 26.11.2019-4 U 22/19), § 312 d para. 1 sentence 1 BGB in conjunction with Art. 246 a § 1 para. 1 sentence 1 no. 9 Introductory Act to the Introductory Act to the German Civil Code (EGBGB) requires the seller of goods to actively research the existence of (manufacturer’s) warranties for the goods offered in order to be able to inform its customers in more detail about these warranties. According to the wording of the aforementioned provisions, their meaning and purpose, and taking into account the legislative intent, the seller’s duty to inform does not only apply if the offer of goods – as in the case decided by the Higher Regional Court of Hamm – contains a reference (in whatever form) to the existence of a warranty.

The Hanover Regional Court recently took a different view(see this article).

The issue of the manufacturer’s warranty has been one of the biggest warning traps in the last case and the uncertainty as an online retailer seems to be anything but over.

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.