Internet Law

Decorating the own profile with photos, text and YouTube videos is something that happens every day on Favebook. The problem appears when the copyrights are not own by the facebook user who has just copied the internet contents. Even when a user is in principle owner of the rights and according to the terms of use, facebook is allowed to use the contents to a large extend. Lawyer Hagen Hild, certified lawyer in IT Law and in Protection of Industrial Property has been interviewed by FOCUS Online about that topic.

PayPal blocks against the sales within Kuba, Zalando obliges frequently returning buyers to pay in advance. Chip interviews lawyer Hagen Hild, certified lawyer in IT Law and in Protection of Industrial Property about that topic.

Judgement of LG Düsseldorf (Regional Court Düsseldorf) of 09/08/2011, file number: 14c O 194/11

Im Geschmacksmuster-Rechtsstreit unterlag nun der Elektronikhersteller Samsung dem Computer-Riesen Apple. Gegenstand des Rechtsstreits war Samsungs Produkt "Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1" - ein Tablet-PC, dessen Gestaltung dem Apple-Produkt "IPad 2" verblüffend ähnlich sieht. Dessen charakteristische Gestaltungsmerkmale hatte sich Apple im Wege eines Geschmacksmusters schützen lassen. Das Landgericht Düsseldorf untersagte dem Hersteller Samsung nun die Benutzung, insbesondere auch die Herstellung, das Anbieten und In-den-Verkehr-bringen, sowie die...

Whispering in the stock market can bring the stock quotes to collapse in short time. News spread non-braked around the globe through Facebook, Twitter & Co. Is the person who started the rumour liable for the damages? Financial Times Deutschland interviews lawyer Alexander Wagner about the legal situation and liability of the ones who manifest an opinion and of the ones who repeat it.

In case that a WLAN is unencrypted, uninvited surfing the web cannot be avoided. The unobstructed access invites to use the open Wi-Fi. This surfing is legal and does not constitute a criminal offence, as long as it is confined to the mere surfing the Internet. However, it should be morally denunciated since whom secretly sneak, scrounges. However, in case of scrounging there is an important risk of unwanted guest such as viruses of malicious software.

Judgement of EuGH (European Court of Justice) of 16/06/2011, file number: C-65/09, C-87/09

In case that the consumer assembles a defective item in good faith in the efficiency for its intended purposes, the seller has to bear with the removal costs of the defective item and the costs of the installation of the replacement item as part of his guarantee obligation. In case that the caused costs have no relation to the value of a free of defects item, the liability of the seller may be limited to a reasonable amount.

According to the recently published police criminal statistics of the year 2010, the number of the recorded crimes regarding computer and Internet criminality has continued to grow strongly. 60.000 cases have been known last year, 20 percent more than a year before. The estimated high number of unknown and not registered crimes should not be underestimated. The increasing number of criminals feel safe from the law within the supposedly anonymous “legal vacuum” Internet.

Judgement of LG Frankfurt / Main (Regional Court Frankfurt / Main) of 18/08/2010, file number: 2-6 S 19/09

The owner of a hotel who offers to his guests an encoded network that meets the statutory requirements cannot be held as responsible for copyright infringements caused by his guests. Due to the existing codification, which safeguards against copyright infringements by third parties, the owner does not meet any further duties.

With the growing number of Smartphone users is also increasing the interest from companies to remain present in the mobile business. Applications for mobile phones - so-called apps - are already an important economic factor, which should not be underestimated. Through these apps, it is possible more than order rail tickets through mobile phones, full web pages are optimized for Smart phones including complete ordering processes. As in ecommerce, numerous statutory duties must be considered by those companies. 

Decision of VG Berlin (Administrative Court Berlin) of 16/12/2010, file number: 27 L 355.10

The operator of an Internet portal where erotic art is published in form of literature, pictures and video material, must protect it with a youth protection program or other arrangements, since young people can be affected in their personal development. This does not oppose to the artistic freedom but in case of a conflict between artistic freedom and protection of minors youth protection, the constitutional act should be followed.

Judgement of the OLG Stuttgart (Higher Regional Court Stuttgart) of 11/11/2010, file number: 2 U 29/10

Consumers who provide their telephone number in a lottery do not automatically consent to telemarketing calls. In case that that consent is separately asked does not change anything since it cannot be assumed that the participant signs up with his real name. According to this, there is no effective consent. The burden of proof for the evidence that the participant of the lottery has given his real name shall be carried by the one who performs the marketing call. Shifting of the burden of proof would only happen in case that the data is not freely...

Judgement OLG Hamm (Higher Regional Hamm) of 01/02/2011, file number: I-4 U 196/10

Online shops operators have to specify on their website the delivery costs to each supplying country. An indication on the website stating that the customer will be notified on request about the actual shipping prices is not enough.

Judgement of AG Kerpen (Local Court Kerpen) of 04/11/2010, file number: 102 C 108/10

If footage of a traffic accident is available on the Internet, no consent is necessary for the publication if the people involved cannot be recognised. A visible licence plate number is not a decisive factor since this identifies the vehicle, not the driver. In case that the recognition is only based on the particular means of transport in relation with local conditions, as in the reported incident, the publication does not constitute any infringement of personality rights.

Judgement of LG Münster (Regional Court Münster) of 18/01/2011, file number: 06 S 93/10

A cell phone service provider must inform the customer about the risk of the high costs, which may occur using the WAP and Internet connections with his cell phone and about the benefits of using a flat rate. This is especially important when the cell phone has already navigation software that enables significant volume traffic.

Judgement of BGH (Supreme Court) of 13/01/2011, file number: III ZR 78/10

If a vehicle owner commissioned a car dealer for a commission with the sale of his vehicle, he must not pay an additional fee for the allocation and advertising of the vehicle. A contractual agreement to that effect is invalid, since it disadvantages the contractor unreasonably. He does not receive anything in return, the expenses for the successful presentation serve the interest of the dealer to come quickly to mediation and these are already included in the commission.

Judgement of LAG München (Higher Labour Court Munich) of 26/08/2010, file number: 4 Sa 227/10

Provided that an employee creates a satire site based on the basic division of the former website of his employer and whose origin can only be identified by insiders, an extraordinary dismissal is not allowed. Even with remarkable audacity, lack of design imagination and lack of awareness of potential risks of defamation during the creation of the satire, this is principally protected by the freedom of expression. Although insiders may indicate the describing and supposed conditions as an offence against the employer, this does not carry any repercussion....

Interview with certified lawyer Hagen Hild about the topic: “Surrounded by Facebook”, published on FOCUS online on January 7, 2011 and in CHIP 02/2011 edition.

In the two-day event “IT Law – organise and manage contents, communication and business legally steady on the Internet” within the lecture series “JuraBasics – Law for non-lawyers” of the University of Augsburg, certified lawyer Hagen Hild will impart practise-oriented knowledge. Lawyer Hild is a certified lawyer in IT-Law and in Protection of Industrial Property and daily advises clients in this area for almost 10 years. The event will take place on Friday 16/07 and Saturday 17/07 from 9 am to 5:30 pm.

Interview with certified lawyer Hagen Hild about the topic: “Surrounded by Facebook”, published in CHIP 02/2011 edition.

The German Ordinance on the duty to inform of the service companies (DL-InfoV) came into force on May 17, 2010. DL-InfoV applies for all service companies and IT-freelancers and involves numerous new duties to inform. You may read the article written by certified lawyer Hagen Hild about this topic for the “IT Freelancer Magazin” on the February / March edition.