Oberlandesgericht Wien [Higher Regional Court, Vienna], UPC Telekabel, October 27, 2011

Document type
Court Decision
Country
(1) The Court, as an appeal court, partially reversed the order of the court of first instance (see below) in so far as it had wrongly specified the means that UPC Telekabel had to introduce in order to block the website at issue and thus execute the injunction. 
(2) In order to reach that conclusion, the Oberlandesgericht Wien first of all held that Article 81(1a) of the UrhG must be interpreted in the light of Article 8(3) of Directive 2001/29. 
(3) It then held that, by giving its customers access to content illegally placed online, UPC Telekabel had to be regarded as an intermediary whose services were used to infringe a right related to copyright, with the result that Constantin Film and Wega were entitled to request that an injunction be issued against UPC Telekabel. 
(4) However, as regards the protection of copyright, the Oberlandesgericht Wien held that UPC Telekabel could only be required, in the form of an obligation to achieve a particular result, to forbid its customers access to the website at issue, but that it had to remain free to decide the means to be used.
Country
Year
2011
Topic, claim, or defense
Copyright
Document type
Court Decision
Issuing entity
Appellate Domestic Court
Type of service provider
Internet Access Provider (Including Mobile)
OSP obligation considered
Block or Remove
Type of law
Civil
General effect on immunity
Mixed/Neutral/Unclear