CJEU rules on jurisdiction in online harmful content dissemination

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has issued its judgement in case Case C-251/20 Gtflix Tv determining that in cases of dissemination of allegedly disparaging remarks on the internet, the compensation for resulting damage in a EU member state may be sought before the courts of that state. The only condition is that the harmful content is or has been accessible in that member state.

The CJEU held that a person who considers their rights to be infringed by harmful content may bring claims for compensation for damages in each of the EU member states where the harmful content was accessible, even though those courts do not have jurisdiction to rule on the application for rectification and removal.