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On 13 April 2000, the 1st Chamber of the Bundesgerichtshof (Federal Supreme Court - BGH) decided that a satirical television programme did not breach copyright or competition law. The object of the satire was a television show in which contestants had to guess the prices of various articles. Whoever was closest to the actual price could win the article concerned. The show was sponsored by the manufacturer of an incontinence medicine, which the presenter helped to advertise in a commercial shown during the TV show. The satirical programme used original clips from the show, including the advertisement...

The Federal Ministry of Health has again called for alcohol advertising regulations to be tightened (see IRIS 1997-6: 14). With particular reference to television advertisements for alcoholic products, the Ministry believes the current regulations are insufficient to combat alcohol addiction. Provisions on alcohol advertising are currently set out in the 1998 version of the German Advertising Council's rules on advertising and teleshopping for alcoholic beverages, which are applicable under the terms of the Regional Media Authorities' "Common Guidelines on advertising, the separation of advertising...

In a judgement of 7 December 1999, the Bundesgerichtshof (the Federal Supreme Court - BGH) dismissed a claim for damages lodged in relation to a report that named a public official who was suspected of committing a crime. The newspaper concerned had, inter alia, reported in the lead article of its local section, under the headline "Ex-employee under strong suspicion", the introduction of criminal proceedings against the applicant, whose name had been mentioned in the article. The applicant argued that the article infringed her personality rights and constituted a prejudgement which, in accordance...

On 31 March, the Landgericht Hamburg (Hamburg District Court) confirmed that a (print) news magazine must pay damages to a bank following the broadcast of a television advertisement (see IRIS 1997-9: 6). In an advertisement for the latest edition of the magazine, the editor said, "Many people might lose their money". The report itself did not deal with the bank's financial situation, however, but questioned the reliability of its then chairman. Even the cover page of the magazine contained the headline, "Hamburg private bank in trouble: customers fear for their money". A few days after the magazine...

In a ruling of 3 March 2000 (case no. 10 O 457/99), the Landgericht Bonn (Bonn District Court) decided that an Internet user could only be banned from a chatroom if he or she had expressly broken the common code of conduct (known as "chatiquette"). The District Court rejected the application of a chatroom operator, who had wanted to ban the defendant from his virtual business premises. The defendant had been involved in an argument with another chatroom user. The applicant prohibited the defendant from using his chatroom, but the latter subsequently ignored the ban. The applicant claimed that,...