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Document 62015CA0568

Case C-568/15: Judgment of the Court (Seventh Chamber) of 2 March 2017 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Landgericht Stuttgart — Germany) — Zentrale zur Bekämpfung unlauteren Wettbewerbs Frankfurt am Main eV v comtech GmbH (Reference for a preliminary ruling — Consumer protection — Directive 2011/83/EU — Article 21 — Communication by telephone — Operation of a telephone line by a trader to enable consumers to contact him in relation to a contract concluded — Prohibition on applying a rate higher than the basic rate — Concept of ‘basic rate’)

OJ C 121, 18.4.2017, p. 5–5 (BG, ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, HR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SL, FI, SV)

18.4.2017   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 121/5


Judgment of the Court (Seventh Chamber) of 2 March 2017 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Landgericht Stuttgart — Germany) — Zentrale zur Bekämpfung unlauteren Wettbewerbs Frankfurt am Main eV v comtech GmbH

(Case C-568/15) (1)

((Reference for a preliminary ruling - Consumer protection - Directive 2011/83/EU - Article 21 - Communication by telephone - Operation of a telephone line by a trader to enable consumers to contact him in relation to a contract concluded - Prohibition on applying a rate higher than the basic rate - Concept of ‘basic rate’))

(2017/C 121/06)

Language of the case: German

Referring court

Landgericht Stuttgart

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicant: Zentrale zur Bekämpfung unlauteren Wettbewerbs Frankfurt am Main eV

Defendant: comtech GmbH

Operative part of the judgment

The concept of ‘basic rate’ referred to in Article 21 of Directive 2011/83/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on consumer rights, amending Council Directive 93/13/EEC and Directive 1999/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Directive 85/577/EEC and Directive 97/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, must be interpreted as meaning that call charges relating to a contract concluded with a trader to a telephone helpline operated by the trader may not exceed the cost of a call to a standard geographic landline or mobile telephone line. Provided that that limit is respected, the fact that the relevant trader makes or does not make a profit through that telephone helpline is irrelevant.


(1)  OJ C 38, 1.2.2016.


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