Oracle before European Court of Justice admits that the distinction between physical and online broadcast is irrelevant Luxembourg, March 6, 2012 Oracle today before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) a crucial legal position to retire: at the hearing, the software-multi admitted that the distinction between physical and online transmission of Oracle software is irrelevant when it comes to the question of whether Oracle software is subject to the point of exhaustion. There is no difference whether the software by disk or via the Internet will distributed; both ways lead to the same result, the Oracle lawyer is admitted. Chamber President Skouris Oracle threw affiliated misleading arguments”before. The ECJ negotiated today about the question of whether the trade with used Oracle software is even legitimate, when the distribution of software over the Internet is done. The Federal Supreme Court had referenced this question on 3rd February 2011 at the highest European Court for clarification. The Distinction between physical and online broadcasting is critical for a more central question of law: Oracle always claimed, Oracle software might be resold already therefore, because the risk of misuse at online metaphor software was especially large. Now the Oracle lawyer under persistent questioning of the President of the Chamber had to concede that a risk of abuse does not exist at all; “” who download Oracle software, could do so at all, stressed she and added: we trust our customers.
“The Court’s clever questions clearly showed how thoroughly the ECJ has dealt with this important issue”, stressed usedSoft Managing Director Peter Schneider after the hearing at the headquarters of the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. “I am confident that the ECJ makes a decision which provides a solid legal basis for the software used trade.” Indeed a tendency was apparent from the questions of the Court, which suggests that the European Court of justice quite open-minded facing resale of software. usedSoft lawyer Andreas master Ernst of the renowned Munich law firm master Ernst lawyers had in his plea made it clear that computer programs are legal things. As such they should are traded used, if they are on the way of sale and to the unlimited use in the market. Physical and online broadcast were substantially equivalent”. The separation of different distribution channels be carried out artificially Oracle, to prevent the second-hand market. However, this is not compatible with the exhaustion principle binding in EU law. The decision of the European Court of Justice will be probably later in the year.
Then, the Federal Supreme Court on the basis of the European Court of Justice demanding is the final instance verdict. UsedSoft usedSoft was founded in 2003 and is a leading European supplier of used standard software. The buyers of usedSoft licenses are both companies such as Software dealer. Among the customers of usedSoft group are e.g. Edeka, Karstadt, Neckermann, REWE, a leading Club in the Football League and various savings banks. Also in German authorities increasingly used software is used: in addition to the city of Munich, the Federal Social Court in Kassel, the municipality Bad Salzuflen and the data centre Baden-Wurttemberg over 100 more communities put on usedSoft licenses.