Bundesverfassungsgericht - Decisions - Data retention unconstitutional in its present form
14.08.20, 10:44
Bär, Handbuch zur EDV-Beweissicherung , 2007, p. 148, marginal no. 212; Bock, in:
Geppert/Piepenbrock/Schütz/Schuster, Beck’scher Kommentar zum TKG (commentary), 3rd ed. 2006,
§ 113 , marginal nos. 23-24). However, only traffic data stored pursuant to § 96 TKG could be used. The
possibility of identifying the owner of a dynamic IP address via information according to § 113.1 TKG
therefore depended on whether such data were still stored at the point in time of the request for
information.
The identification of the owner of an IP address is of significance for example for copyright protection. If
the copyright owners succeed in identifying the IP addresses under which copyright violations are
committed in the Internet, the criminal prosecution authorities can identify, by means of a request for
information pursuant to § 113.1 TKG, the owners of the respective lines, against whom the copyright
owners can bring civil action after inspecting the files of the criminal proceedings. It is true that § 101.2
sentence 1 no. 3 of the Copyright Act (Urheberrechtsgesetz – UrhG) as amended by Article 6 no. 10 of the
Law on the Improved Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (Gesetz zur Verbesserung der
Durchsetzung von Rechten des geistigen Eigentums ) of 7 July 2008 (Federal Law Gazette I p. 1191) now
grants persons whose copyright has been violated also a civil-law right to information vis-à-vis the
telecommunications service providers. Pursuant to § 101.9 of the Copyright Act, the latter may give the
information on the basis of a court order also by using telecommunications traffic data. It is, however,
excluded to use the data stored pursuant to § 113a TKG (see Frankfurt am Main Higher Regional Court,
order of 12 May 2009 – 11 W 21/09 –, MMR 2009, p. 542 (544), with further references; Hoeren, Neue
Juristische Wochenschrift 2008, p. 3099 (3101); Bäcker, in: Rensen/Brink, Linien der Rechtsprechung des
Bundesverfassungsgerichts , 2009, p. 99 (111-112), footnote 49).
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Information pursuant to § 113.1 sentence 1 TKG is to be given to the extent necessary for prosecuting
criminal or regulatory offences, to ward off dangers to public security or public order or for performing
intelligence-service duties.
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cc) § 113b TKG reads:
§ 113b
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Use of the data stored pursuant to § 113a
The provider with obligations under § 113a may transmit the data stored solely
pursuant to the duty of retention under § 113a
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1. for the prosecution of criminal offences,
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2. to ward off substantial dangers to public security, or
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3. to perform the statutory duties of the authorities of the Federation and the Länder
(states) for the protection of the constitution, of the Federal Intelligence Service
(Bundesnachrichtendienst ) and of the Military Counterintelligence Service
(Militärischer Abschirmdienst )
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to the competent agencies at their request, to the extent that this is provided for in the relevant statutory
provisions referring to § 113a and the transmission has been ordered in the individual case; it may not use
the data for other purposes, with the exception of giving information pursuant to § 113. § 113.1 sentence 4
applies with the necessary modifications.
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The provision of § 113 TKG to which § 113b TKG makes reference reads in part:
§ 113
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Preparation by hand of information
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(1) Any person who, in a business capacity, provides telecommunications services
or assists in providing such services shall in the individual case give, without delay,
information to the competent agencies at their request about the data collected
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