Summary
Case note, written with Stijn Debaene, on the CJEU’s McFadden judgment of 15 September 2016 (C-484/14) on free and open Wi-Fi networks used to share copyright works illegally. It explains the German case law on indirect liability (Störerhaftung) at the origin of the reference, and the Court’s answer: a business offering free Wi-Fi as an access provider benefits from the liability exemption of Article 12 of the E-Commerce Directive 2000/31, but may be ordered to secure its network with a password and require users to identify themselves. The authors welcome the clarification of the exemption but remain sceptical about the injunction accepted by the Court.
Reference
H. Haouideg et S. Debaene, « Wi-Fi public ouvert et téléchargement illégal : protection et obligations du fournisseur d'accès », R.D.T.I., 2016/2-3, n° 63-64, p. 140-148.