Case law

  • Case Details
    • National ID: N 1/2001
    • Member State: Denmark
    • Common Name:The Consumer Ombudsman vs. Interessebank Danmark
    • Decision type: Other
    • Decision date: 15/03/2002
    • Court: Sø- og Handelsretten (Others)
    • Subject:
    • Plaintiff:
    • Defendant:
    • Keywords:
  • Directive Articles
    Distance Selling Directive, Article 10, 1.
  • Headnote
    Prohibition to market by automatic calling machines without prior consent of the consumer
  • Facts
    Pursuant to the Marketing Practices Act § 6 a, para 1, unsolicited applications to consumers by use of fax, e-mail and automatic calling machines are prohibited without the consumer’s previous express request (opt-in).
    As regards other means of distance communication (printed commercial papers, letters etc.) the Marketing Practices Act § 6 a, para 3 establishes an opt-out rule, according to which applications to the consumer are prohibited if the consumer is listed in a public record of consumers who do not wish to receive commercial applications. If a consumer is not listed in the record, the trader – the first time he makes an application – shall inform the consumer of his right to say no to receiving applications. However, according to § 6 a, para 4, para 3 does not apply if the consumer himself has requested the application from the trader.
    Interessebank Danmark manages an arrangement where consumers can report which products and services they are interested in. At the same time the consumer can provide Interessebank Danmark with consent to divulge the information to traders in order for those traders to carry out direct marketing to the consumer within the specified fields of interest.
    The case dealt with the issue whether the consumer’s consent to Interessebank Danmark should be regarded as a request directly to the traders (to which Interessebank Danmark distributed the consent), cf. § 6 a, para 4. If so, the traders would be entitled to carry out direct marketing to the consumer regardless whether the consumer was listed in the public record of consumers who do not wish to receive commercial application, cf. § 6 a, para 3.

    The Consumer Ombudsman claimed that the consent to Interessebank Danmark did not comply with § 6 a, para 4, because this provision implies that the consent is given directly to each trader. Interessebank Danmark claimed that no such implication can be interpreted into the provision or the underlying art. 10, para 2 of Directive 97/7/EC.
  • Legal issue
    The Court ruled in favour of Interessebank Danmark, stating that there were no support in either the explanatory notes to § 6 a or art. 10, para 2 of Directive 97/7/EC for an interpretation according to which the consent under § 6 a, para 4 should be given directly to each individual trader. Thus, the consent given to Interessebank Danmark was sufficient for the traders who received information from Interessebank Danmark in order to market themselves directly to the consumer, even if the consumer was listed in the public record of consumers who do not wish to receive commercial applications.
  • Decision

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