Germany: Law to Strengthen Consumer Protection in Competition and Commercial Law implemented

On 28 May 2022, the Law to Strengthen Consumer Protection in Competition and Commercial Law, implementing EU Directive 2019/2161 regarding the enforcement and modernisation of EU consumer protection rules, has been implemented. The bill amends the Law against Unfair Competition to clarify its applicability to e-commerce, online marketplaces and digital services. The bill expands the definition of 'commercial act' to cover digital content and services and imposes transparency requirements on e-commerce providers. Online marketplaces must show whether listed products or services are offered by users or businesses. If an online business makes use of a review system in the marketing of its products, it must clarify how it ensures that reviews are genuine. Finally, if an online business provides users with a search engine to find products including a ranking system, it must provide information about the ranking criteria and their relative weighting.