Dear readers,

For more than six years now, Jusletter IT – The Magazine for IT and Law devotes itself to interdisciplinary and comprehensive coverage of all topics round about IT and law that lawyers consider important.

One intention of Jusletter IT is to pioneer in new media in addition to classical forms of publication, like text and graphic representation, conference proceedings, scientific papers and essays. Podcasts are intriguing tools. Webinars will soon be indispensable in digitally aligned working environments.

In this spirit, three speeches that were recorded at the event «Is there a right of AdBlocking?» on 31 May 2016, will guide through the subject area of AdBlocking: network neutrality, decision-making authority of user/consumer, plot boundaries in the digital age etc.

  • Lukas Bühlmann, Gibt es ein Recht auf AdBlocking? – Begrüssung (Podcast)
  • Michael Reinle, Gibt es ein Recht auf AdBlocking? – Einführung und Übersicht rechtliche Fragen (Podcast)
  • Kai Recke, AdBlocker – legality from a user’s perspective (Podcast)

Data protection – both the term and regulations – has now found its way into almost every area of life. A small focus will lay on this broad topic in today's issue, too.

The legal problems arising when companies adjust their prices in high frequencies according to changes in supply and demand and their customers' willingness to pay are shown by Florent Thouvenin. Often referred to as «dynamic pricing», this strategy brings new challenges both for legislators and courts.

Bernd Schmidt and Claudia Bischof are taking a particularly topical subject into hand: the British's choice to leave the European Union. What consequences will the Brexit imply for the data protection related status of the country? Will Great Britain be an unsecure third country any time soon? What are the concerned companies’ opportunities for reacting?

Another statement from Great Britain is provided by Burkhard Schafer, who, on the example of the proposed national ID database for Scotland, illustrates global information and communication technology (ICT) and the difficulties it brings to national legal regimes. History is taken into account as well as newest technical developments.

Due to the last year’s technological developments, personal data can be processed for the purpose of valuating creditworthiness and risks of credit default respectively. Rolf Dieter Kargl and Walter Hötzendorfer examine the credit assessment in Austria under consideration of the new EU General Data Protection Regulation and, at this, bring light into the data protection related questions.

In its case Patrick Beyer vs. Federal Republic of Germany, the European Court of Justice considers, if dynamic IP addresses constitute personal data according to Art. 2 Letter a of Directive 95/46/EG. Maurits Haas comments the Opinion of Advocate General Sánchez-Bordona concerning this process.

Vlad-Dan Roman analyses, whether and how there is any place for competition law with regard to the public spillover. In our dynamic world, rapidly changing requirements for business, society and governments need to be reacted to as soon as possible. Complex collaborative instruments have been created by the EU and her Member States. But is there any room left for competition amid those standardizations?

Seen from an IP and competition law perspective, additive production processes, also known as «3D-Printing» that facilitate the (re-)producing of physical products come with inherent risks. Rolf H. Weber and Lennart Chrobak conduct a thorough analysis of this technology and show up adjustment requirements for the future.

In co-authorship with Dominic Oertly, Rolf H. Weber additionally observes the reform package for a modernised contract law in e-commerce proposed by the European Commission. The authors take a critical look at the sharing economy in the EU.

Kai Erenli deals with the hype initiated by the game «Pokémon Go» this year and, in doing so, enlarges upon former international handling of the topic as well as the underlying technic. In conclusion, he asks the question: What legal problems result from the contact with Augmented Reality (AR)?

On 18 March 2016, the revised Federal Mail and Telecommunications Monitoring Act was adopted and, prospectively, will come into force in 2018. Samuel Klaus and Roland Mathys show up, in which aspects the revision brings changes and what these entail practically.

The more and more professional e-participation platforms generate textual feedback in the form of statements by citizens. The organizers of e-participation have to face the new challenge: how to get IP support for a fair and objective summary of thousands of comments Erich Schweighofer gives a first outline for a solution.

Erich Neuwirth, a mathematician and statistician, tries to add an objective contribution to the question of the possible influence of errors in the Austrian presidential election 2016. His contribution was first published on his blog and is republished in an updated version. 

In May 2015, Nadja Braun Binder has already issued the topic of taxation procedures in Germany being in a paradigm shift (see Nadja Braun Binder, Auf dem Weg zum vollautomatisierten Besteuerungsverfahren in Deutschland, in: Jusletter IT 25 May 2016). In time, the federal legislature has cleared the path for a fully automated administrative procedure and the announcing of administrative acts – in theory, at least.

What has been a great success in Germany since 2006, has now found its way to Austria: a judiciary online auctioning platform that allows bailiffs to auction off movable objects following the Act on the Enforcement of Judgements. Martin Schneider and Hanspeter Draxler shortly introduce the platform www.justiz.auktion.at.

We wish you a fascinating reading and are looking forward to greet you again on 24 November 2016 for the next issue of Jusletter IT!

Vienna / Berne, in September 2016

Erich Schweighofer and Franz Kummer

Podcasts
Gibt es ein Recht auf AdBlocking? (Podcast)
Lukas Bühlmann
Lukas Bühlmann
On 31 May 2016, an event performed by Bühlmann Rechtsanwälte and Weblaw AG as media partner on the subject «Is there a right of AdBlocking?» took place in Zurich. Lukas Bühlmann’s introduction gives an overview of the topic and evinces the controversial legal questions. (ah)
Gibt es ein Recht auf AdBlocking? (Podcast)
Michael Reinle
Michael Reinle
Are AdBlockers permissible? The presentation deals with this question in a differentiated manner and, in doing so, takes different legal bases into account. Whether the use of AdBlockers is permitted in general is not the only decisive factor, the given circumstances are another criterion. Adblock Plus’ whitelist function is being considered as particularly problematic by the contributor. In addition, he assumes that the question of network neutrality will achieve major significance in connection with the provision of AdBlocking services by telecommunication service providers. (ah)
AdBlocker – legality from a user’s perspective (Podcast)
Kai Recke
Kai Recke
The speech deals with the admissibility of AdBockers (with and without white list feature) and particularly addresses why such software is used in a legitimate way. Ultimately, what is the point in a prohibition (even if it’s only partially)? In a digital age, where does the plot boundary lie, behind which the consumer can decide both as an internet user and a computer owner what content he downloads and perceives, and against which contents – and cyber risks too – he wants to protect himself and his property. (ah)
Data Protection / Data Security
Dynamische Preise
Florent Thouvenin
Florent Thouvenin
An increasing number of businesses are now rapidly adjusting their prices to changes in supply and demand and their customers' willingness to pay. These pricing strategies, often referred to as «dynamic pricing», are appealing for businesses but raise a number of legal issues. The article examines these issues and illustrates how the legislature or courts could respond to the challenges that result from the use of dynamic pricing.
Datenschutzrechtliche Folgen des Brexit
Bernd Schmidt
Bernd Schmidt
Claudia Bischof
Claudia Bischof
First there was a shock – then nothing happened for a long time. On 23 June 2016, the citizens of Great Britain have voted to leave the European Union and EU representatives now demand to start exit negotiations swiftly. Amongst other things, the unsettled state of Great Britain as a secure or unsecure third county – in terms of data protection – will be directly affected. The consequences for companies with business relationships to Great Britain might be substantial. The authors discuss data protection-related consequences of a Brexit, possibilities for legal reaction to the upcoming Great Britain EU exit and concerned companies’ opportunities for reacting to the expected events. (ah)
«What a parcel of rogues in a nation’s database»
Burkhard Schafer
Burkhard Schafer
The challenges of global ICT to national legal regimes are well known. Less so are issues caused by sub-state divisions. As recent years have seen a resurgence of regionalism that saw increased autonomy given to regional governments, this question merits closer scrutiny. This paper uses the proposed national ID database for Scotland to explore these issues. We will see the «long shadow» that history casts over even the most current technological developments and trace back design choices in e-governance from the Scottish independence referendum of 2014 back to the 17th century. Also, much of it will turn out to be the German’s fault.
Kreditwürdigkeitsprüfung und Rechtsentwicklung des Datenschutzes
Rolf-Dieter Kargl
Rolf-Dieter Kargl
Walter Hötzendorfer
Walter Hötzendorfer
The processing of personal data for the purpose of assessing the creditworthiness and the credit default risk affects consumers in particular. At the same time, the technological development in recent years has produced a large number of powerful tools that perform extensive automation of data collection and analysis which led to an enormous increase in risks for a various number of people. The EU General Data Protection Regulation brought a single scheme for automated individual decision-making (profiling). The article is intended to take account of the current legal situation in Austria under a legal development perspective (EU General Data Protection Regulation).
Sind dynamische IP-Adressen personenbezogene Daten?
Maurits Haas
Maurits Haas
By answering the request for preliminary ruling, whether dynamic IP addresses constitute personal data, the European Court of Justice may give a landmark decision on the contentious issue, in which case data have to be considered as personal data. Advocate General Sánchez-Bordona follows a subjective approach, according to which the resources of the controller shall be decisive to determine the scope. But due to the fact that all the means, which the controller could possibly use to identify a person shall be attributable to the controller, the scope of data protection law is still very broad.
Competition Law
The public power spillover in technology markets – does it leave room for any competition?
Vlad Dan Roman
Vlad Dan Roman
In a general fashion, even though trying different logics of argumentation, competition law proves its limits when it comes to having the effects spilled over activities carried out by undertakings invested with public powers purposes. From a policy perspective this represents a predictable finality; however, in arguing on the same facts, the methodological stance used by the Union’s judiciary differs depending on the appetite towards formalistic or modern, economic-based argumentations. Even though the outcome (i.e. decision) might seem the same, the tests applied are of great importance for shaping a future, more efficient, competition legal infrastructure.
«Aus eins mach' zehn»: Geistiges Eigentum und Wettbewerbsrecht in Zeiten des 3D-Drucks
Rolf H. Weber
Rolf H. Weber
Lennart Chrobak
Lennart Chrobak
Additive production processes, also known as 3D-Printing, that facilitate the (re-)producing of physical products on the basis of digital data hold enormous development potential both for the industrial production and for private use. Seen from an IP- and competition law perspective, these technical arrangements are not without problems and presume an adapted awareness of problems on the consumer as well as the producer side. From a look-out of the concerned legal fields, these «novel» technologies are analysed in detail and adjustment requirements for the future are shown up. (ah)
IT-Law / E-Commerce
E-Commerce und Sharing Economy in der Europäischen Union
Rolf H. Weber
Rolf H. Weber
Dominic Oertly
Dominic Oertly
End of 2015 – in the course of the digital internal market strategy – the European Commission has introduced a reform package for a modernised contract law in e-commerce. Within this, the updated regulation for online retailing and the providing of digital content are paramount. Truly worth discussing are the regulatory aspects of scopes, conformity and legal remedies in particular, being critically evaluated hereafter. Moreover, the article examines the current developments around the sharing economy in the European Union as well as the corresponding future legal environment. (ah)
Pikachu & Co – Augmented Reality rechtlich betrachtet
Kai Erenli
Kai Erenli
The article gives an overview of the legal problematics arising when dealing with Augmented Reality (AR). The fact that there are several relevant questions has been confirmed by the hype issued by the game «Pokémon Go». First, there will be a retrospect on the hitherto handling of the topic from an international legal point of view and an obsolete insight into the underlying technology, afterwards the legal problem areas will be elaborated in detail. In closing, based on practical problems that occurred within introducing «Pokémon Go», a presentation of legal solution approaches is attempted. (ah)
«The Best of BÜPF» – Was ändert sich mit der Revision?
Samuel Klaus
Samuel Klaus
Roland Mathys
Roland Mathys
The referendum against the revised BÜPF has not been achieved. The version of the BÜPF that has been adopted by the councils will thus come into force, presumably in 2018. The article provides an overview of the changes the revision brings about – and what these changes entail practically.
E-Democracy / E-Justice / E-Participation
Structuring Textual Feedback of E-Participation Platforms
Erich Schweighofer
Erich Schweighofer
In the knowledge and network society, democracy gets a strong digital element. Whereas strong reservations exist concerning e-voting, e-participation with its high degree of flexibility is much more accepted. In the E-Participation project of the KIRAS research programme, an e-participation platform demonstrator was developed. Textual feedback was so far analysed manually. In case of more than several thousand statements, text analysis tools can provide important support. Based on the example of legal data analysis, an outline of such an additional tool of e-participation platforms is presented.
Wahlkarten und Urnenwahl – Statistische Methoden zur Untersuchung von Manipulationsverdacht
Erich Neuwirth
Erich Neuwirth
The Austrian Constitutional Court anulled the second ballot of the election of the federal President because of the possibility of election results’ manipulation in district electoral authorities caused by violation of legal provisions. A statistical comparison of ballot box and postal vote results in the disputed as well as remaining districts shows that there are no systematic differences. From a statistical point of view, manipulations can be excluded de facto. (ah)
Weg frei für vollautomatisierte Verwaltungsverfahren in Deutschland
Nadja Braun Binder
Nadja Braun Binder
The German Federal Legislature has cleared the way for a fully automated administrative procedure and the electronic notification of administrative acts via government portals. From 1 January 2017, administrative procedures can be implemented without personnel operating steps of any kind. At least in theory. The author drafts the new regulations intended in the Fiscal Code, the Administrative Procedure Act and the Tenth Book of the Social Code and provides a critical comparison. (ah)
Internet-Versteigerungen auf Justiz-Auktion.at
Martin Schneider
Martin Schneider
Hanspeter Draxler
Hanspeter Draxler
Following the Act on the Enforcement of Judgments, Austrian bailiffs can auction off movable objects on the judiciary online auctioning platform justiz-auktion.at since March 2015. Ever since the beginning of «Justiz-Auktion» in Austria until the middle of the year 2016, more than 500 auctions have been carried out online. In the progress, total proceeds of more than 250’000 Euros have been achieved. Austria’s judiciary herein works together with the German judiciary online auctioning platform justiz-auktion.de that has been operated successfully for years. (ah)
News
Geschäftsinhaber nicht verantwortlich für Urheberrechtsverletzungen
Jurius
Jurius
ECJ – The operator of a shop who offers a Wi-Fi network free of charge to the public is not liable for copyright infringements committed by users of that network. However, such an operator may be required to password-protect its network in order to bring an end to, or prevent, such infringements. (Judgement C-484/14)
Wettbewerbsverbotsklausel zwischen Portugal Telecom und Telefónica rechtswidrig
Jurius
Jurius
ECJ – The General Court confirms the unlawfulness of the clause relating to noncompetition between Portugal Telecom and Telefónica in connection with Telefónica’s acquisition of the Brazilian mobile operator Vivo. However, for the purposes of calculating the fines imposed on the two companies, the Commission will have to determine once again the sales linked directly or indirectly to the infringement. (Judgements T-208/13 and T-216/13)
Verstoss gegen die Urheberrechtsrichtlinie
Jurius
Jurius
ECJ – The copyright directive precludes fair compensation due to authors for private copying of their works from being financed by a budgetary scheme such as that established in Spain. Such a scheme does not guarantee that the cost of that fair compensation is ultimately borne solely by the users of private copies. (Judgement C-470/14)
Urheberrechte: Rückwirkende Tarife sind zulässig
Jurius
Jurius
BVGer – Hotels, hospitals, prisons and lessors of vacation homes and rentals have to pay copyright fees to receive radio programs in their guest rooms. The Federal Administrative Court now determines, that those fees can retroactively be charged since 2013. (Judgement B-3865/2015) (ah)
Der Bund setzt sich für die Chancengleichheit in der digitalen Schweiz ein
Jurius
Jurius
Specific support measures are necessary for equal opportunities in the information society not staying a utopia: about 160 representatives from authorities, economy, science and civil society participating in the symposium for digital inclusion in Berne have agreed upon this. Philippe Horisberger, deputy director of the Federal Office for Communication (BAKOM), stated in his opening speech, that equal opportunities are part of the core objectives of the strategy «Digital Switzerland». (ah)
Anschluss an die europäische IT-Agentur
Jurius
Jurius
Switzerland wants to be part of the European agency that operates the Schengen/Dublin-Databases. This IT agency allows the usage of synergies upon employing knowhow or personnel, which results in lower costs and higher reliability. On 6 July 2016, the Federal Council has adopted the supplementary message for the attention of the parliament. (ah)
Übernahme der neuen EU-Richtlinie über den Datenschutz im Bereich der Strafverfolgung
Jurius
Jurius
On 6 July 2016, the Federal Council has approved of the acceptance of the new EU Data Protection Directive in law enforcement. Additionally, it instructed the Federal Department of Justice and Police (EJPD) to include the necessary legislative changes into the ongoing revision of the Data Protection Act. The endorsement of the new directive furthermore has to be authorised by the parliament and is subject to an optional national referendum. (ah)
Besserer Schutz der Schweiz bei gleichzeitiger Wahrung der individuellen Freiheit
Jurius
Jurius
Facing the constantly changing threats Switzerland is confronted with, Federal Council and Parliament have adopted the new Intelligence Agency Act (NDG). With the NDG, the Federal Intelligence Service (NDB) receives additional funding. Conversely, detailed legal regulations and further controls are imposed. (ah)
Anhörung zu Geheimdienst-Kontrolle
Jurius
Jurius
Two legislative proposals of the coalition fractions of CDU/CSU and SPD regarding «further development of parliamentary control of the Federal Intelligence Service» and «abroad-abroad signal intelligence of the Federal Intelligence Service» are subjects of discussion at the hearing of the Interior Committee of 26 September 2016. Additionally, a draft law of the fraction Die Linke regarding «changes of the Act on Parliamental Control of the Federal Government's Intelligence Activities» and a request titled «Improving Parliamental Control of the Federal Government's Intelligence Activities» appear on the agenda. (ah)
BSI befand Snowden-Dokumente für authentisch
Jurius
Jurius
The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) assume that the documents submitted by Edward Snowden regarding the activities of western secret services against the Federal Republic of Germany are authentic. On 23 June 2016, the authorities’ vice president, Andreas Könen, told the first committee of inquiry (NSA) that this also appeals to the accusation of the American National Security Agency (NSA) having monitored the mobile of the Federal Chancellor. (ah)
EU-Patentrechtsreform wird umgesetzt
Jurius
Jurius
To implement a patent law reform appointed in the EU, the required legal adaptions shall be executed in Germany. This is the content of a federal government's draft legislation (18/8827) that has been consulted in a first reading on 23 June 2016. (ah)
NSA-Ausschuss soll sich auch mit BND-Selektoren befassen
Jurius
Jurius
In the first inquiry commission (NSA), the opposition has asserted itself with the concern of expanding the investigation mandate to the question of how far the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) has violated German and European interests with monitoring measurements. (ah)
Störerhaftung für WLAN entfällt
Jurius
Jurius
On 1 June 2016, the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs has cleared the path for the abolition of the so-called «liability as a co-liable party» for operators of open wireless networks (WLAN). (ah)