Germany: IT and Internet

The Düsseldorf Local Division partially upheld a patent relating to multimedia content sharing in peer-to-peer configurations and found indirect infringement by Disney's streaming service. The decision addresses critical issues of claim construction, patent validity, and procedural aspects while applying established UPC case law on inventive step testing.

Germany is implementing new EU requirements that mandate online merchants to provide an electronic withdrawal button, fundamentally changing how consumers can exit digital contracts. The legislation establishes specific technical and legal requirements for this withdrawal function, including design standards, data confirmation processes, and receipt acknowledgments.

The EU adopted the "CER" directive at the end of 2022, which is intended to contribute to the protection of critical digital infrastructure.