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Multi-State Advertising Over the Internet and the Private International Law of Unfair Competition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 January 2008

Alexander Thünken
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Extract

The characteristics of market places do not nowadays correspond to the characteristics of national territories of states. Goods and services are marketed throughout the world without respecting national barriers. This is why advertising activities are designed to reach many customers in many countries. The Internet has forced this development in the last 15 years. It has been transformed from a means of communication among research scientists into a means of mass communication, an indispensable part of many peoples every-day lives.

Type
Articles
Information
International & Comparative Law Quarterly , Volume 51 , Issue 4 , October 2002 , pp. 909 - 942
Copyright
Copyright © British Institute of International and Comparative Law 2002

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References

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66 Law Commission no 193 (1990) para 3.8.

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68 Ibid, para 3.8 at (2).

69 Ibid, para 3.8 at (3).

70 Fawcett and Torremans, op cit, 717.

71 See Trailer, op cit, ch 34, 11.

72 Federal Supreme Court (Bundesgerichtshof), BGHZ 35, 329 (334, 336)—baby feeding bottles; BGH GRUR (Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht) (1961), 316 (318)—steel export; BGH GRUR (1982), 495 (497)—Domgarten; GRUR (1988), 453 (454)—A Champagne among mineral waters; GRUR (1991), 463 (464)—purchases abroad.

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87 At para 12.

88 At para 13.

89 See Euromarket Designs v Peters & Anr (2001) FSR 288, point 25.

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98 LG Bremen, 12 O 440/99 (25 Nov 1999).

99 Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 of 22 Dec 2000 in force since 1 Mar 2002.

100 ECJ in Marinari v Lloyds Bank 1995 ECR 1–49.

101 ECJ in Bier v Mines de Potasse d'Alsace 1976 ECR 1735.

102 1995 ECR I–415.

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105 Shevill, 1995 ECR I–415, para 25.

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107 Fawcett and Torremans, op cit, 686.

108 See <http://www.iccwbo.org/home/statements_rules_rules/1998/internet_guidelines.asp>.

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116 ICC Guidelines on Advertising and Marketing on the Internet, introduction and Art 1(1); see <http://www.iccwbo.org/home/statements_rules/rules/1998/internet_guidelines.asp>.

117 eg, Second Council Directive 89/646/EEC of 15 Dec 1989 (Banking Directive).

118 See von Hoffmann, op cit, § 1, at 39–41.

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120 Council Directive 89/552/EEC dated 3 Oct 1989 on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities amended by Directive 97/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 June 1997.

121 A recent example is University of Glasgow v The Economist (1997) EMLR 495.

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123 Ibid, 9–025.

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125 eg in Germany; ‘iura novit curia’: von Hoffmann, op cit, § 3, at 130.

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131 Mankowski ZVglRWiss 100 (2001), 137 (158).

132 This is the very objective of Art 1 of the ICC Guidelines on Advertising and Marketing on the Internet.

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140 Bodewig GRUR Int. (Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht International), (2000), 475 (481 et seq.); Henning-Bodewig WRP (Wettbewerb in Recht und Praxis) (2001), 771 et seq.; Ahrens CR (Computer und Recht) (2000), 835 et seq.; Gierschmann DB (Der Betrieb) (2000), 1315 et seq.; U Fritze and C Holzbach WRP (2000), 872 et seq.; Sack WRP (2001), 1408 et seq.; K-H Fezer and S Koos IPRax (Praxis des internationalen Privat- und Verfahrensrechts) (2000), 349 et seq.; Ohly GRUR Int (2001), 899 et seq; Nickels DB 2001, p. 1919 (1923); Lehmann EuZW (Europäische Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsrecht) (2000), 517 (518); Veelken RIW (Recht der internationalen Wirtschaft) (2002), Heft 2, ‘Die erste Seite’; B Lurger and SM Valiant RIW (2002), 188 (194); Halfmeier ZEuP (Zeitschrift fur europäisches Privatrecht) (2001), 837 (868).

141 H Kronke, Applicable law in torts and contracts in cyberspace, K Boele-Woelki and C Kessedjian, op cit, 71.

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149 Dethloff JZ (Juristenzeitung) (2000), 179 (182) emphasises this point.

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151 Art 2(b) of the E-commerce Directive.

152 Mankowski ZVglRWiss (Zeitschrift fur vergleichende Rechtswissenschaft) 100(2001), 137 (163 et seq); Lurger and Valiant RIW (Recht der internationalen Wirtschaft) (2002), 188 (194 at d) (3)).

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156 Annex of the E-commerce Directive: derogations from Art 3.

157 ECJ 24/11/1993, ECR 1993,1–6097—Keck and Mithouard.

158 Ibid, at para 16.

159 Case C–405/98, 8 Mar 2001.

160 Ibid, at para 21.

161 Ibid, at para 39.

162 Recital 6 of the Directive.

163 Dethloff JZ (Juristenzeitung) (2000), 179 (183).

164 Ibid.

165 Sonnenberger ZVglRWiss 95 (1996), 3 (22).

166 Council Directive 89/552/EEC dated 3 Oct 1989 amended by Directive 97/36/EC of 30 June 1997.

167 Dethloff JZ (Juristenzeitung) (2000), 179(180).

168 (1998) ETMR, 44, para 38, 59 (de Agostini).

169 Ibid, para 61 (de Agostini).

170 Ibid, para 33.

171 A controversial debate is going on in Germany as to if Art 3 of the E-Commerce-Directive constitutes a choice of law rule or not; against a classification as a choice of law rule: Fezer and Koos IPRax (Praxis des internationalen Privat- und Verfahrensrechts) (2000), 349 (352); Sack WRP (Wettbewerb in Rechtund Praxis) (2002), 271 (273); WRP (2001), 1408 (1409, 1417); WRP (2000), 269 (282 et seq.); Nickels DB (Der Betrieb) (2001), 1919 (1922); Ahrens CR (Computer und Recht) (2000), 835 (837); Ohly GRUR Int (Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht International) (2001), 899 et seq.; Arndt and Köhler EWS (Europäisches Wirtschafts- und Steuerrecht) (2001), 102 (106); Veelken RIW (Recht der internationalen Wirtschaft) (2002), Heft 2, ‘Die erste Seite’; Halfmeier ZEuP (Zeitschrift fur europäisches Privatrecht) (2001), 837 (864); in favour of a classification as a choice of law rale: Spindler IPRax (2001), 400 (403); ZRP (Zeitschrift fur Rechtspolitik) (2001), 203 (204); RIW (2002), 183 (185); Mankowski ZVglRWiss (Zeitschrift fur vergleichende Rechtswissenschaft) 100 (2001), 137 (142, 143); Lurger and Vallant RIW (2002), 188 (191) and MMR (Multimedia und Recht) (2002), 203 (205, 208).

172 June 2002.

173 See under <http://www.dti.gov.uk/cii/ecommerce/europeanpolicy/edirec_resp.shtml/coforigin*coforigin> at points 15 et seq.

174 See Marleasing SA v La Comercial Alimentacierce/ (1990) ECR1–4135.

175 Brödermann, E, in Brödermann, and Iversen, , Europäisches Gemeinschaftsrecht und Internationales Privatrecht (Tübingen: Mohr, 1994), at 422Google Scholar; Münchener Kommentar-Sonnenberger, BGB, Introd. IPRat 155.

176 Fawcett and Torremans, op cit, 686.