Constitutional Law — Art 5. GG (Freedom of Expression, Freedom of the Press, Freedom of Art and Scholarship, Research and Teaching)
| Date | Citation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 09.12.2003 | BGH VI ZR 38/03 | Interrogative sentences (or parts of them), which are not designed to induce an answer with a content which is not yet established, are in fact statements amounting either to value judgements or assertions of fact. Legally, they must be treated as such. A claim for correction is thus successful. §§ 823, 1004 BGB |
| 09.12.2003 | BGH VI ZR 373/02 | Invasion of privacy by publication of aerial photographs of holiday home with claimant's name justified by press freedom as claimant was well known public figure and had already publicised information about it. Publication of directions for finding property not justified; action against person supplying information to magazine thus possible. |
| 15.12.1999 | BVerfGE 101, 361 | Celebrity photographed with her children in various public places Extent of protection afforded by privacy Countervailing arguments for speech How balance should be struck Case note |
| 24.03.1998 | BVerfGE NJW 1998, 2889 1 BvR 131/96 | Use of someone’s name Freedom of opinion Personality rights Case note §§ 823, 1004 BGB Art. 1 I, 2 I, 5 I 1 GG |
| 10.10.1995 | BVerfGE 93, 266 1 BvR 1476, 1980/91 and 102, 221/93 Soldaten sind Mörder -decision | Statement that soldiers are murderers Is the statement defamatory? Extent of protection given to speech § 185 StGB Art. 5 GG |
| 13.04.1994 | BVerfGE 90, 241 1 BvR 23/94 Auschwitzlüge -decision | Freedom of speech Denial that the holocaust ever took place (fact or opinion?) Statement worthy of legal protection? §§ 130, 185, 189, 194 StGB Art. 5 GG |
| 22.02.1994 | BVerfGE 90, 60 1 BvL 30/88 Cable penny -decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Media freedom and the assessment (of the amount) of the broadcasting user fee by interstate compact |
| 11.01.1994 | BVerfGE 90, 1 1 BvR 434/87 Historical falsification -decision | Academic freedom of speech, research and teaching Limits of protection |
| 09.10.1991 | BVerfGE 85, 23 1 BvR 221/90 Disparaging questions -decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Protection for questions by guarantee of freedom of opinion Distinction between genuine and rhetorical questions |
| 09.10.1991 | BVerfGE 85, 1 1 BvR 1555/88 Critical shareholder -decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Protection for statements expressing evaluations of factual events Burden of corroboration in the case of disparaging factual assertions |
| 11.06.1991 | BVerfGE 84, 203 1 BvR 772/90 Assembly dispersal -decision (Bayer Pharmaceutical case) © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Denial of entry to a public assembly if intention is not participatory but preventive |
| 05.02.1991 | BVerfGE 83, 238 1 BvF 1/85, 1/88 6. Rundfunkurteil © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Broadcasting in North Rhine-Westphalia (maintenance and development guarantee for public broadcasting requirements for authorization and operation of private broadcasting Two-column model for local broadcasting Composition of boards of overseers |
| 27.11.1990 | BVerfGE 83, 130 1 BvR 402/87 Mutzenbacher -decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Freedom of art and restrictions for disseminating publications that morally endanger youths The selection of members of the restricting agency |
| 26.06.1990 | BVerfGE 82, 272 1 BvR 1165/89 Stern/Strauß -decision (coerced democrat case) © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Defamatory representation and the protection of personality |
| 03.04.1990 | BVerfGE 82, 1 1 BvR 680, 681/86 Nazi symbols -decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Freedom of art and (the adjudication of) criminal law banning the symbols of unconstitutional organizations |
| 07.03.1990 | BVerfGE 81, 278 1 BvR 266/86 and 913/87 Bundesflagge -decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Punishment for denigrating the National Flag |
| 07.03.1990 | BVerfGE 81, 298 1 BvR 1215/87 German National Anthem -decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Punishment for disparaging the National Anthem |
| 06.06.1989 | BVerfGE 80, 124 1 BvR 727/84 Bundespost -decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Press freedom, government privileges by price reductions, and journalistic competition Conditions for the permit for a periodical publication in the reduced-price newspaper service of the Bundespost |
| 03.06.1987 | BVerfGE 75, 369 1 BvR 313/85 Strauß caricature-decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Caricatures attacking the core of personal honour are not protected by the freedom of art |
| 12.05.1987 | BVerfGE 57, 295 1 BvL 89/78 3. Rundfunkurteil (FRAG case) © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Private broadcasting in the Saarland Statutory regulations ensuring freedom of broadcasting required to be made for the transmission of private broadcasts Art. 5 GG |
| 24.03.1987 | BVerfGE 74, 297 1 BvR 147, 478/86 5. Rundfunkurteil © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Private broadcasting in Baden-Württemberg Public broadcasters are not to be excluded from producing regional and local broadcasting programmes or from producing sound and motion picture services on call pending special permission by statute or State character Art. 5 I 2 GG |
| 04.11.1986 | BVerfGE 73, 118 1 BvR 1/84 4. Rundfunkurteil © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Requirements imposed on both private and public broadcasters as to the range of the programme and the ensuring of balanced pluralism |
| 17.07.1984 | BVerfGE 67, 213 1 BvR 816/82 Anachronistischer Zug-decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Freedom of art Evaluating the deformatory character of street theatre Art. 5 III 1 GG |
| 25.01.1984 | BVerfGE 66, 116 1 BvR 272/81 Wallraff/Bild-decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Publication of information stemming from the editorial area of an organ of the press that was acquired by an individual through deception as to his identity and intentions Art. 5 I GG |
| 22.06.1982 | BVerfGE 61, 1 1 BvR 1376/79 CSU-NPD-decision (Wahlkampf case) © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Derogatory utterances about a political party during an election campaign Art. 5 I GG |
| 13.01.1982 | BVerfGE 59, 231 1 BvR 848, 1047/77; 916, 1307/78; 350/79; 475, 902, 965, 1177, 1238 and 1461/80 WDR/Freie Mitarbeiter-decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Effects of freedom of broadcasting to be observed by the labour courts when deciding whether employees of a public broadcaster retained as free-lance employees are to be classified as permanent employees Social State Principle, Art. 5 I GG |
| 03.06.1980 | BVerfGE 54, 208 1 BvR 797/78 Böll-decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Freedom of opinion does not protect inaccurate quotation, nor does it justify representing as a quotation an interpretation reasonable to the average reader or hearer of an ambiguous statement by criticized person, without making it clear that this is an interpretation by the critic |
| 13.05.1980 | BVerfGE 54, 129 1 BvR 103/77 Römerberg Speech-decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Admissibility of evaluative statements in the public conflict of opinion (broadcasting commentary) |
| 05.06.1973 | BVerfGE 35, 202 1 BvR 536/72 Lebach -decision | Documentary about convicted prisoner Personality rights §§ 22, 23 KunstUrhG Art. 1 I, 2 I, 5 I GG |
| 14.02.1973 | BVerfGE 34, 269 1 BvR 112/65 Soraya -decision = NJW 1973, 1221 | Fictitious interview in paper Violation of personality rights Claims for damages §§ 249, 253, 847 BGB Art. 1 I, 2 I GG |
| 24.02.1971 | BVerfGE 30, 173 1 BvR 435/68 Mephisto-decision |
Klaus Mann’s Mephisto-case Freedom of artistic opinion Art. 1 I, 2 I, 5 GG |
| 14.10.1969 | BVerfGE 27, 88 1 BvR 30/66 Der Demokrat-decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Freedom of information and monitoring of mail brought in from the GDR Art. 5 I GG |
| 14.10.1969 | BVerfGE 27, 104 1 BvR 93/67 Publication seizure-decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Balancing merits between the interests protected by the fundamental right to freedom of information and the penal provisions defending against endangerments of the Constitution Seizure of publications imported from the GDR State security and freedom of information |
| 03.10.1969 | BVerfGE 27, 71 1 BvR 46/65 Leipziger Volkszeitung-decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Freedom of information as an independent basic right of equal rank with freedom of opinion and freedom of the press Access to general sources of information; importation of publications from the GDR Art. 5 I GG |
| 26.02.1969 | BVerfGE 25, 256 1 BvR 619/63 Blinkfüer-decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | A call (primarily to be implemented through means of economic power) to boycott a press undertaking as infringement of the fundamental right of press freedom § 823 I BGB Art. 5 I GG |
| 05.08.1966 | BVerfGE 20, 162 1 BvR 586/62, 610/63 and 512/64 Spiegel-decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Search of press offices Freedom of the press Suspicion of having committed treason National defense Art. 5 I GG |
| 28.02.1961 | BVerfGE 12, 205 2 BvG 1,2/60 1. Rundfunkurteil (Deutschlandfernsehen case) © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Foundations of the German Television Company (Ltd.) by the Federal Government Federal system Limited powers of the Federal Government Freedom of broadcasting Art. 5 GG |
| 25.01.1961 | BVerfGE 12, 113 1 BvR 9/57 Dr. Schmid/Spiegel-decision © Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Justification of replies in the press that correspond to the nature of a press attack and its effect on the formation of public opinion §§ 185, 193 StGB Art. 5 I, II GG |
| 15.01.1958 | BVerfGE 7, 198 1 BvR 400/51 Lüth-decision |
Doctrine of Drittwirkung Freedom of expression Possible clash between basic rights and private law § 826 BGB Art. 1 III, 5 I, II GG |