Broad scope of media law

All of us have watched TV, listened to the radio or read a newspaper or magazine, be it in paper or digital form. Some work as photographers, film makers, editors, publishers, platform operators - in other words, as media professionals. And then again, some people are considered a public figure, were the focus of a publication as a private person or have published something themselves - for example on the Internet, social media or similar. Media law plays a role in all our lives.

It is as broad as it is challenging - and just as important.

A distinction is made between public media law (broadcasting law, film law, press law, telemedia and telecommunications law) and private media law (personality rights, protection of intellectual property, etc.). And the right to freedom of expression and the right to freedom of information, although regulated in the Basic Law (Grundgesetz), must also be considered in this context.

In short: media law is involved whenever content is communicated in words, images or sound.

Frequent issues

Media law can give rise to a range of questions for the lay person as well as the professional:

When is a work subject to artistic freedom and when does it infringe another's copyright?

How much is a photograph in a newspaper permitted to show of me - as a private person and as a so-called public figure?

Where are the boundaries? When is my right to my own image infringed? When do I, as a photographer, infringe someone else's right?

What is allowed, what is not?

Am I allowed to write what I want on the Internet?

When is it freedom of speech and when is it a defamatory statement? And how far is reporting allowed to go and when is it a false statement of fact or even defamation?

Our services

Our specialist lawyers in copyright and media law will be happy to advise you and assist you, inter alia, in

defending your (corporate) personality rights (false statement of facts, incorrect reporting or defamatory statements and/or press statements that infringe the law, statements on rating portals, social networks, etc., cyber-mobbing, infringement of the right to one's own image, etc.)
obtaining injunctive relief and enforcing claims for damages (out of court by issuing a warning letter and also in court by applying for a preliminary injunction or bringing an action for injunctive relief)
enforcing counter statements, a retraction or a correction
reviewing applications asserted against you for injunctive relief, a counter statement, a retraction or a correction
reviewing and defending warning letters
defending applications for injunctive relief and claims for damages (e.g., by lodging protective letters or an objection to an injunction)
taking measures against search engine operators on the Internet
enforcing claims in the event of so-called identity theft on the Internet
reviewing media content for its admissibility (texts, images, musical works)

Important in this context:
Claims under media law are often urgent and must be treated as such, for example to enforce or defend an injunction. So do not hesitate. And be sure: we fight for our clients - quickly, if possible, but also with perseverance over years and, if necessary, all the way to the Court of Justice of the European Union.