{"id":37982,"date":"2023-02-07T08:55:57","date_gmt":"2023-02-07T07:55:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/prohibition-of-company-disparagement\/"},"modified":"2025-11-24T20:02:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T19:02:00","slug":"prohibition-of-company-disparagement","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/competition-law\/prohibition-of-company-disparagement\/","title":{"rendered":"Prohibition of Company Disparagement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>Table of contents<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/competition-law\/prohibition-of-company-disparagement\/#h-die-5-voraussetzungen-fur-eine-verbotene-herabsetzung-im-einzelnen\" level=\"2\">The 5 Conditions for Prohibited Disparagement in Detail<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/competition-law\/prohibition-of-company-disparagement\/#h-zu-zwecken-des-wettbewerbs\" level=\"3\">For Competitive Purposes<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/competition-law\/prohibition-of-company-disparagement\/#h-tatsachen\" level=\"3\">Facts<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/competition-law\/prohibition-of-company-disparagement\/#h-behaupten-oder-verbreiten\" level=\"3\">Asserting or Disseminating<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/competition-law\/prohibition-of-company-disparagement\/#h-schadigungseignung\" level=\"3\">Potential for Harm<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/competition-law\/prohibition-of-company-disparagement\/#h-nicht-erweislich-wahr\" level=\"3\">Not Demonstrably True<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/competition-law\/prohibition-of-company-disparagement\/#h-welche-anspruche-ergeben-sich-infolge-einer-unlauteren-herabsetzung\" level=\"2\">What Claims Arise from Unfair Disparagement?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/competition-law\/prohibition-of-company-disparagement\/#h-wichtige-punkte\" level=\"2\">Important points<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n<p>The prohibition of company disparagement (Section 7 UWG) primarily aims to prevent a company from damaging the reputation of its competitors through <strong>disparaging statements<\/strong>. It therefore concerns the relationship between companies (B2B). <\/p>\n\n<p>A violation thereof is one of the more specific forms of unfair business practices and is therefore always examined preferentially over more general provisions.<\/p>\n\n<p>Who<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>for competitive purposes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>facts about another company<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>asserted or disseminated<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>which have the potential to cause harm and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>are not demonstrably true<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>acts unfairly.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-die-5-voraussetzungen-fur-eine-verbotene-herabsetzung-im-einzelnen\">The 5 Conditions for Prohibited Disparagement in Detail<\/h2>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-zu-zwecken-des-wettbewerbs\">For Competitive Purposes<\/h3>\n\n<p>&#8230;is acted upon when a <strong>competitive relationship<\/strong> exists between the party affected by the statement and the party making the statement, and the latter exhibits <strong>competitive intent<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<p>A competitive relationship always exists when there is a reciprocal connection between the advantages a company gains through its actions and the disadvantages that consequently affect another company.<\/p>\n\n<p>In short, this will always be the case when two businesses have the same customer base.<\/p>\n\n<p>The intent to promote one&#8217;s own (or even third-party) competition at the expense of another company (competitive intent) is already considered given in the case of a disparaging statement about a competitor, and its existence is presumed.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tatsachen\">Facts<\/h3>\n\n<p>&#8230; are circumstances and conditions that are <strong>objectively verifiable<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<p>They must be distinguished from mere value judgments, i.e., subjective opinions, which do not fall under the definition of prohibited company disparagement.<\/p>\n\n<p>Is the statement a \u2013 albeit highly embellished \u2013 presentation of facts, or has the speaker merely expressed their opinion?<\/p>\n\n<p>Crucial is whether a statement contains a <strong>verifiable<\/strong> <strong>factual core<\/strong> that is amenable to proof.<\/p>\n\n<p>When assessing a statement and distinguishing between a fact and a mere value judgment, the understanding of the target audience must be considered.<\/p>\n\n<p>How does the statement appear to a potential customer as the <strong>average recipient<\/strong> of the declaration?<\/p>\n\n<p>In this regard, an <strong>overall consideration<\/strong> <strong>of the<\/strong> <strong>circumstances<\/strong> must take place.<\/p>\n\n<p>If the statement has a verifiable, true core, there is no company disparagement under Section 7 (1) UWG. <\/p>\n\n<p>Even images or three-dimensional representations can convey corresponding factual content.<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Examples of Factual Statements:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>For example, if a company is referred to as a &#8220;locust,&#8221; this is verifiable, as the term is widespread in business and stands for a company that acquires, strips, and then resells other companies as quickly as possible to achieve the highest possible return.<\/p>\n\n<p>Whether a company actually proceeds in this manner can be verified by examining facts.<\/p>\n\n<p>It can also be determined whether a part of a machine is &#8220;the cheapest of the cheap.&#8221; This is verified by examining the quality of the component in question. <\/p>\n    <div class=\"mr-quote mrbg clearfix\">\n        <a class=\"mr-quote-person\" href=\"\/ueber-uns\/rechtsanwalt-peter-harlander\/\" title=\"Rechtsanwalt Peter Harlander\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mr-quote-person-img\" src=\"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/wp-content\/themes\/harlander\/design\/ph100.webp\" width=\"100\"\n                 height=\"100\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Rechtsanwalt Peter Harlander\">\n            <span class=\"mr-quote-person-text\">\n            Peter Harlander<br>\n            <span class=\"mr-quote-person-function\">Harlander &amp; Partner Rechtsanw\u00e4lte<\/span>\n        <\/span>\n        <\/a>\n        <span class=\"mr-quote-content\">\u201eIst eine \u00c4u\u00dferung mehrdeutig, muss der \u00c4u\u00dfernde die f\u00fcr ihn ung\u00fcnstigste Auslegung gegen sich gelten lassen!\u201c<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n<p><strong><u>Rule of Ambiguity<\/u><\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n<p>For example, if a newspaper is referred to as belonging to the &#8220;yellow press sector,&#8221; the speaker must accept that the term will be interpreted as a description for sensationalist tabloids and hate newspapers.<\/p>\n\n<p>Precise wording is therefore advisable.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-behaupten-oder-verbreiten\">Asserting or Disseminating<\/h3>\n\n<p>An assertion is made on one&#8217;s own initiative and <strong>from one&#8217;s own knowledge<\/strong>. Dissemination, however, is the <strong>passing on<\/strong> of a statement made by a third party. <\/p>\n\n<p>For the prohibition under Section 7 (1) UWG, however, it makes no difference whether a fact was asserted or disseminated. The sole decisive factor is that the statement was made to at least one person other than the potentially aggrieved party.  <\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-schadigungseignung\">Potential for Harm<\/h3>\n\n<p>&#8230; exists if the dissemination or assertion is capable of damaging the business operations of the company or the credit of the owner.<\/p>\n\n<p>It is irrelevant whether damage has already occurred or whether the speaker actually intended to harm the competitor. The only decisive factor is that the statement is <strong>objectively capable<\/strong> of diminishing the reputation of the other company or its owner among the relevant customer base. <\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-nicht-erweislich-wahr\">Not Demonstrably True<\/h3>\n    <div class=\"mr-quote mrbg clearfix\">\n        <a class=\"mr-quote-person\" href=\"\/ueber-uns\/rechtsanwalt-peter-harlander\/\" title=\"Rechtsanwalt Peter Harlander\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mr-quote-person-img\" src=\"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/wp-content\/themes\/harlander\/design\/ph100.webp\" width=\"100\"\n                 height=\"100\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Rechtsanwalt Peter Harlander\">\n            <span class=\"mr-quote-person-text\">\n            Peter Harlander<br>\n            <span class=\"mr-quote-person-function\">Harlander &amp; Partner Rechtsanw\u00e4lte<\/span>\n        <\/span>\n        <\/a>\n        <span class=\"mr-quote-content\">\u201eObwohl eine \u00c4u\u00dferung wahr ist, kann sie dennoch unlauter nach der Generalklausel des \u00a7 1 UWG sein!\u201c<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n<p>A violation of the prohibition already exists if the truth of the statement cannot be proven. (&#8220;&#8230;not demonstrably true&#8230;&#8221;). <\/p>\n\n<p><\/p>\n    <div class=\"mr-quote mrbg clearfix\">\n        <a class=\"mr-quote-person\" href=\"\/ueber-uns\/rechtsanwalt-peter-harlander\/\" title=\"Rechtsanwalt Peter Harlander\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mr-quote-person-img\" src=\"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/wp-content\/themes\/harlander\/design\/ph100.webp\" width=\"100\"\n                 height=\"100\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Rechtsanwalt Peter Harlander\">\n            <span class=\"mr-quote-person-text\">\n            Peter Harlander<br>\n            <span class=\"mr-quote-person-function\">Harlander &amp; Partner Rechtsanw\u00e4lte<\/span>\n        <\/span>\n        <\/a>\n        <span class=\"mr-quote-content\">\u201eWichtig: Im Falle eines Rechtsstreits muss derjenige, der die herabw\u00fcrdigende Aussage get\u00e4tigt hat, beweisen, dass seine Aussage wahr ist!\u201c<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-sonderfall-vertrauliche-mitteilungen\">Special Case: Confidential Communications<\/h4>\n\n<p>A special regulation applies if the statement was a confidential communication and the recipient had a legitimate interest in the information.<\/p>\n\n<p>Here, exceptionally, the plaintiff must prove that the statement is untrue!<\/p>\n\n<p>The communicator, for their part, can only be held liable if they knew or ought to have known the untruth of the fact.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-welche-anspruche-ergeben-sich-infolge-einer-unlauteren-herabsetzung\">What Claims Arise from Unfair Disparagement?<\/h2>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/competition-law\/claim-for-injunctive-relief\/\">Injunction<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Retraction and Publication of Judgment<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/competition-law\/claim-for-damages\/\">Damages<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-wichtige-punkte\">Important Points<\/h2>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If a business owner makes disparaging statements about a competitor within the same customer base (competitive relationship) (presumed competitive intent), a violation of the prohibition of company disparagement may exist.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The prohibition only applies to statements about facts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Facts, in contrast to mere value judgments, are objectively verifiable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The standard for distinguishing between facts and subjective value judgments are the average recipient and the overall consideration of the circumstances.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Generally, the burden of proof for the truth of the statement lies with the party making the disparaging statement, unless it is a confidential communication.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If a fact is demonstrably true, it does not fall under the prohibition, but may still be unfair under more general provisions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rule of Ambiguity: If a statement is ambiguous, the speaker must accept the interpretation most unfavorable to them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A prerequisite for a violation of the prohibition is that the statement is objectively capable of diminishing the competitor&#8217;s reputation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The prohibition of company disparagement (Section 7 UWG) primarily aims to prevent a company from damaging the reputation of its competitors through disparaging statements. It therefore concerns the relationship between &#8230;","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":40255,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[339],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37982","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-competition-law"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"336x":false,"352x":false,"woocommerce_thumbnail":false,"woocommerce_single":false,"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":false,"yarpp-thumbnail":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Peter Harlander","author_link":"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/author\/secondpromotion\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The prohibition of company disparagement (Section 7 UWG) primarily aims to prevent a company from damaging the reputation of its competitors through disparaging statements. It therefore concerns the relationship between ...","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/37982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/37982\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harlander-partner.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}