Germany: Issued ruling in Consumer Center of North Rhine-Westphalia lawsuit against Meta regarding order button labelling alleged non-compliance with consumer protection regulations

On 8 February 2024, the 20th Civil Senate of the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf granted an injunction action brought by the Consumer Center of North Rhine-Westphalia against Meta Platforms. The court ruled that Meta's ordering process for its paid, ad-free use of the social networks Facebook and Instagram was in violation of consumer protection regulations. The court ruled that the "Subscribe" and "Continue to payment" buttons did not sufficiently indicate that a subscription contract with a charge would be confirmed upon clicking. The court held that companies have a legal obligation to label order buttons with clear wording, such as “order with obligation to pay”. The judgement is final and enforceable.