YouTuber/Influencer: Watch out for prank videos

I would like to use an event from Saturday as an opportunity to educate YouTubers/streamers/influencers about the legal dangers of prank videos.

What happened?

On Saturday, young people set off a series of firecrackers in the Dortmund shopping center “Thier Galerie”. This triggered a mass panic that ended up lightly injuring at least 30 people. The four 14 and 15 year old youths could be taken into custody. Later, however, it turned out not only that it was a very stupid action of the teenagers, but that they were commissioned and paid by a YouTuber for the action. The goal was to film the panic and later publish it on his YouTube channel. The YouTuber thus clearly had commercial intentions with it and is criminally abettor, if not even accomplice, of the dangerous bodily harm.

In addition to the criminal consequences, which are likely to end in suspended sentences + fines for the five young people, but now – especially on the Youtuber a large number of claims for damages will come. He should probably get a good and dedicated lawyer. In addition to the costs of the police operation that the latter provoked, costs for medical treatment and compensation for pain and suffering are likely to be claimed for the injured. Although I don’t know many of the details, in the event of a large-scale police operation that was unnecessarily provoked and 30 people injured, combined with the numerous legal costs, the YouTuber could quickly face 100,000+ euros in claims.

What should I do?

Since prank videos have a great popularity, I don’t want to basically advise against channels with prank videos at all. However, as a lawyer and expert, I must strongly advise against shooting such videos uncontrolled, as was the case in the above case or, for example, in the case of ApoRed. The process of these pranks and thus the risk or cost implications are simply uncontrollable. Of course, videos are still possible that are in principle subject to a script, whose protagonists have been informed in advance and have signed a consent for the recording. These can also please numerous users on one channel and thus be used for revenue. Shows like “Verstehen Sie Spaß” are organized much more professionally, and even there there are not only regular legal disputes, but above all a professional TV station would never publish pranks unless a declaration of consent is signed at least afterwards. As a rule, the declaration of consent also applies to the owner of the property, as otherwise it may be possible to commit the criminal offense of trespassing.

The best way to organize such videos is to seek professional help and get comprehensive advice.

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.