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Skillsirrefuehrende-werbung-pruefung

irrefuehrende-werbung-pruefung

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Updated 10-15 20:08

About this skill

/wettbewerbsrecht:irrefuehrende-werbung-pruefung

Purpose

The skill examines a specific advertising claim for misleadingness under §§ 5, 5a, 5b UWG and – insofar as a competitor is identified – for comparative advertising under § 6 UWG. The standard is the average informed, attentive and reasonable consumer (compliant with the UCP Directive). The skill provides an advertising claim examination grid with interfaces to the Black List (Annex to § 3 III), PAngV and HWG.

Inputs

  • specific advertising claim (wording, context, medium: print, website, social media, radio/TV)
  • if applicable, the overall advertising (visual, asterisk note, footer explanation)
  • target group (end consumers, professional circle, mixed)
  • sector (in particular food/HWG-relevant?)
  • factual core (evidence / study / source of the advertised characteristic)
  • position of the client: advertiser or competitor/association intending to take action

Sub-agent architecture

The researcher provides UWG statutes (§§ 3, 3 III in conjunction with Annex, 5, 5a, 5b, 6), UCP Directive 2005/29/EC, BGH case law on the understanding of the relevant public and commentary references. The drafter examines the advertising claim in expert-opinion style along the examination grid and, depending on the client's side, drafts either preventive advertising clearance or a cease-and-desist letter under § 13 UWG. The reviewer checks UCP Directive-compliant interpretation and the threshold of materiality under § 3 II.

Procedure

1. Scope of application

  • Commercial practice within the meaning of § 2 I No. 2 UWG (any conduct in favour of one's own or another's business for the purpose of promoting sales)
  • B2C or B2B? The standard is the same, but the recipients' understanding may vary
  • Scope of application of the UCP Directive 2005/29/EC (B2C); Advertising Directive 2006/114/EC (B2B comparative advertising)

2. Comparison with the Black List (Annex to § 3 III UWG)

Prohibited per se without a materiality assessment are the 30 commercial practices in the Annex. Frequent hits:

  • No. 1: False claim of adherence to a code of conduct
  • No. 4: False claim of approval/authorisation
  • No. 7: "available only for a short time" without a factual basis
  • No. 11: "free with order" with hidden costs
  • No. 21: "free", "gratis" despite unavoidable costs
  • No. 23: concealment of identity in an editorial context

If there is a hit in the Annex to § 3 III: the infringement is established, no further assessment of materiality (§ 3 II UWG). Immediate transition to legal consequence (§ 8 UWG).

3. § 5 UWG — Misleading commercial practices

a) Elements of § 5 I, II UWG

A commercial practice is misleading if it false statements contains or makes other suitable for deception statements about one of the circumstances named in § 5 II UWG. Example catalogue § 5 II UWG:

  1. essential characteristics of the goods/services
  2. occasion of the sale (clearance sale, "only today")
  3. Price or method of calculation
  4. personal characteristics of the entrepreneur (qualifications, awards)
  5. intellectual property rights
  6. consumer rights

b) Benchmark of the understanding of the average consumer

UGP Directive-compliant: the average consumer who is reasonably well informed, observant and circumspect (ECJ, Gut Springenheide, C-210/96 [unverifiziert – prüfen in curia.europa.eu]; BGH, settled case law [unverifiziert – prüfen in juris]). In the case of advertising aimed at particular consumer groups, the average member of that group is to be taken as the benchmark (Section 3(4) UWG).

c) Commercial relevance / materiality

The misleading statement must be capable of causing the consumer to make a commercial decision that he would not otherwise have made (Section 5(1) sentence 1 UWG). In the case of the black list, this assessment is omitted.

4. Section 5a UWG — Withholding material information

Unfair conduct also includes withholding from the consumer material information that he requires in the specific case (Section 5a(1) UWG). Section 5a(3) UWG contains mandatory information for invitations to purchase (essential characteristics, identity/address of the undertaking, total price, payment/delivery/performance conditions, and, where applicable, right of withdrawal).

5. Section 5b UWG / PAngV — Price indications

Section 5b UWG refers to the obligations under the PAngV (unit price indication under Section 4 PAngV; final price under Section 3 PAngV; clear allocation of prices to goods). Interface with Section 3a UWG (infringement of law through breach of the PAngV), significant for online shop cease-and-desist letters.

6. Section 6 UWG — Comparative advertising

Comparative advertising (any advertising that directly or indirectly identifies a competitor or his products, Section 6(1) UWG) is permissible, if the cumulative requirements of Section 6(2) nos. 1–6 UWG are met:

  1. reference to goods/services that meet the same need
  2. comparison of objective, relevant, verifiable, typical characteristics
  3. no risk of confusion
  4. no exploitation of reputation/impairment of reputation
  5. no disparagement of the competitor
  6. no imitation

Failure to fulfil one of the requirements leads to unfairness. Cf. ECJ, Pippig Augenoptik (C-44/01) [unverifiziert]; L'Oréal/Bellure (C-487/07) [unverifiziert].

7. Industry-specific interfaces

  • HWG: advertising for medicinal products — Section 3 HWG prohibition of misleading statements, often stricter than Section 5 UWG
  • LMIV/LFGB: health-related/nutrition-related claims (HCR Regulation 1924/2006)
  • TMG/DSA: transparency obligations for online advertising, mandatory labelling of influencer advertising

8. Legal consequences in the event of infringement

  • Right to cease and desist and to rectify, Section 8 UWG
  • Damages, Section 9 UWG (in the case of fault)
  • Reimbursement of expenses, Section 13(3) UWG in the case of an effective cease-and-desist letter
  • Skimming off of profits to the federal budget, Section 10 UWG (by associations, rare)

Sources and citation style

Mandatory: ../../../references/zitierweise.md.

Statutes and secondary legislation

Commentaries

  • Bornkamm, in: Köhler/Bornkamm/Feddersen, UWG, current edition, § 5 UWG marginal no. 1 et seq.
  • Sosnitza, in: Ohly/Sosnitza, UWG, 8th ed. 2023, § 5 UWG marginal no. 1 et seq.
  • Dreyer, in: Harte-Bavendamm/Henning-Bodewig, UWG, 5th ed. 2021, § 5 UWG marginal no. 1 et seq.
  • Köhler, in: Köhler/Bornkamm/Feddersen, UWG, current edition, § 6 UWG marginal no. 1 et seq.

Case law ([unverifiziert – prüfen in juris / curia.europa.eu])

  1. CJEU, judgment of 16.07.1998 – Case C-210/96, Gut Springenheide (consumer image)
  2. CJEU, judgment of 18.06.2009 – Case C-487/07, L'Oréal/Bellure (comparative advertising)
  3. BGH, judgment of 18.12.2014 – I ZR 129/13, GRUR 2015, 698 – Schlafzimmer komplett (advertising with self-evident matters)
  4. BGH, judgment of 05.11.2015 – I ZR 182/14, GRUR 2016, 521 – Durchgestrichener Preis II
  5. BGH, judgment of 31.10.2018 – I ZR 73/17, GRUR 2019, 82 – Jogginghosen

Output format

GUTACHTEN — Prüfung Werbeaussage
Mandant: <Werbender / Beanstandender>
Werbeaussage: "<Wortlaut>"
Medium: <Webseite / Print / Social>

I. Sachverhalt
II. Kurzantwort
    – Zulässigkeit: [zulässig / unlauter §§ ___ UWG]
    – Empfehlung: [Freigabe / Anpassung / Abmahnung]

III. Rechtliche Bewertung
    1. Geschäftliche Handlung § 2 I Nr. 2 UWG
    2. Abgleich Schwarze Liste (Anhang § 3 III)
    3. § 5 UWG
       a) Tatbestand (Beispielskatalog § 5 II Nr. __)
       b) Maßstab Durchschnittsverbraucher
       c) Geschäftliche Relevanz
    4. § 5a UWG (Vorenthalten wesentlicher Informationen)
    5. § 5b UWG iVm PAngV (Preisangaben)
    6. § 6 UWG (vergleichende Werbung, soweit einschlägig)
       Prüfung Nr. 1–6 § 6 II UWG
    7. Branchen-Schnittstellen (HWG / LMIV / DSA)

IV. Rechtsfolge
    – Unterlassungsanspruch § 8 UWG (ja/nein)
    – Beseitigung § 8a UWG
    – Schadensersatz § 9 UWG (Verschulden, Schadensumfang)

V. Empfohlene Werbe-Anpassung (Werbende-Perspektive) /
   Entwurf Abmahnung (Beanstandende-Perspektive)

VI. Risiken / offene Punkte
    🟢 / 🟡 / 🔴 <Einstufung mit Begründung>

VII. Quellenverzeichnis

Example (excerpt, legal opinion style)

3. § 5 I, II no. 2 UWG (price). Advertising with “instead of EUR 199 — now EUR 99” without stating the reference period of the crossed-out price is capable of creating the inaccurate impression of a significant price advantage in the average informed, attentive and reasonable consumer (cf. BGH, Durchgestrichener Preis II, I ZR 182/14 [unverifiziert – prüfen in juris]). Under Art. 6a UGP Directive and § 11 PAngV, the standard is the lowest price actually previously charged (30 days). Recommendation: clarifying note “previously 30 days at EUR 199 in the shop” or deletion of the comparison.

Risks / typical mistakes

  • Black list not checked — if there is a match, the de minimis assessment is omitted and the infringement is established.
  • Wrong consumer image — not “the fleeting consumer”, but, in line with the UGP Directive, average informed/attentive/reasonable.
  • Asterisk note forgotten or too small — material information under § 5a UWG cannot be cured by a hidden footer.
  • § 6 UWG assessment incomplete — all six requirements of paragraph 2 are cumulative.
  • PAngV obligations underestimated — violations of the unit price indication requirement are warned against on a mass scale.
  • HWG/LMIV special rules overlooked — stricter standards than § 5 UWG.
  • UGP Directive-compliant interpretation ignored — in the case of B2C advertising, to be interpreted in conformity with primary law; in case of doubt, refer under Art. 267 TFEU.