ISSN:
1573-0700
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Economics
Description / Table of Contents:
Abstract According to West German civil law, consumers who have become victims of false or misleading competition have only limited rights with regard to compensation and withdrawal — this is a predominant opinion in the FRG. For this reason the Federal Government plans to amend the Law on Unfair Competition, with the intention of strengthening consumer protection. The bill was formulated by government experts but experienced several restrictions even before parliament discussions began. The author argues that the government bill will not reach its originally intended purposes. It does not assume that unfair competition in itself leads to the making of a contract. Instead the consumer has to prove that a specific instance of advertising was the (only) reason for the completion of a transaction. This condition will make the new law ineffective. According to the bill the consumer himself has the burden of proving the falsehood of advertising; only in this case is he allowed to demand the difference between the real value of an article and that value advertising has promised. This is a very dubious condition of the bill. The second part of the article deals with the rules specifying the right of consumer associations to sue. They must be seen as an impediment to the activities of the associations. The introduction of registration procedures will cause them additional costs. In the third part, the author maintains that support of consumer associations is unavoidable for an effective strengthening of consumer interests. As everyone knows, it is not easy to approach courts, especially for lower class people. It should be the task of public consumer policies to make consumer associations attractive to these groups, and to supply them with juridical and material possibilities. The bill is not able to contribute to these purposes; in some parts it blocks effective work in the interests of consumers.
Notes:
Zusammenfassung Der Verfasser untersucht insbesondere unter beweisrechtlichen Gesichtspunkten die Schadensersatz-und Rücktrittsansprüche, welche nach der UWG-Novelle dem Verbraucher im Falle eine Beeinflussung durch unlautere Wettbewerbsmaßnahmen zustehen sollen. Die vorgesehene Regelung wird abgelehnt, da die prozessuale Durchsetzbarkeit der Konsumentenrechte als gering eingeschätzt wird. Auch gegenüber der beabsichtigten Normierung der Verbandsklage werden Vorbehalte geltend gemacht. Das verfolgte Ziel, die Ausschaltung unseriöser Vereine, könne in dieser Form nicht erreicht werden; Folge werde stattdessen eine Erschwerung der Arbeit der Verbraucherverbände sein. Im letzten Teil legt der Verfasser dar, weshalb er es grundsätzlich für notwendig hält, daß Verbraucherverbände den Konsumenten im Rechtsstreit vertreten können sollen. Zu bedauern sei allerdings einerseits die Mittelschichtsausgerichtetheit dieser Verbände, zum anderen ihre unzulängliche materielle Unterstützung durch den Staat — bei zunehmender Aufgabenzuweisung.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02390687
Permalink
