On 7 September 2020, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) issued draft guidelines on the concepts of controller and processor. The concepts play a crucial role in the application of the GDPR, as they determine who will be responsible for compliance with different data protection rules, and how data subjects can exercise their rights in practice.

The concepts have not changed compared to the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC (now repealed) and the general criteria for how to attribute the different roles remain the same. However, the EDPB acknowledges the necessity of providing clarification on these concepts under the GDPR.  Since the entry into force of the GDPR, many questions have arisen in relation to the implications of the concept of joint controllership (under Article 26 GDPR), and the specific obligations for processors (under Article 28 GDPR). The guidelines replace the previous Opinion of the Article 29 Working Party on the concepts of controller and processor (Opinion 1/2010).

In part I, the guidelines discuss the definitions of the concepts of controller, joint controllers, processor, and third party/recipient. Part II considers the consequences that are attached to the different roles. The guidelines also contain helpful examples of the circumstances when an entity is a controller, joint controller or processor.Continue Reading EDPB publishes draft guidelines on the concepts of controller and processor

Alice Chaplin

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has made an important ruling for brand owners, online marketplaces and retailers alike, in finding that Amazon is not liable for unwittingly stocking trade mark infringing goods on behalf of third party sellers.
Continue Reading E-commerce operators not liable for trade mark infringement for mere storage of infringing goods

The Irish Court of Appeal has held that while the definition of “personal data” is very broad, to interpret a document as constituting personal data for the sole reason that it was generated as a result of a complaint made by the data subject, would be to “overstretch” the concept of personal data.  In a related judgment, the Court found that the data subject was entitled only to a “copy“ of his personal data, and not the data in its “original“ form.
Continue Reading Court of Appeal warns against “overstretching” the concept of personal data

On the 23 July 2020, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) adopted FAQs on the Schrems II judgment. The FAQs provide answers to questions received by EU data protection authorities (DPAs) and will be developed and complemented by the EDPB in due course.

In brief, the EDPB clarifies:

  • No grace period – The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has invalidated the Privacy Shield with immediate effect. The judgment does not provide any grace period during which companies can keep transferring personal data to the US without assessing the legal basis for the transfer.
  • Use of SCCs for EEA-US transfers – US law (i.e. Section 702 FISA and EO 12333) does not ensure an essentially equivalent level of protection. Whether or not you can transfer personal data to the US based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) will depend on the result of your adequacy assessment, taking into account the circumstances of the transfers, and supplementary measures you could put in place. The supplementary measures, along with SCCs, would have to ensure that US law does not impinge on the adequate level of protection they guarantee.

Continue Reading EDPB publish FAQs on Schrems II

The Court of Justice of the European Union has delivered its eagerly awaited decision, in Schrems II (Case C-311/18).

Why is the case important?

Schrems II calls into the question the ability of companies to lawfully transfer data from the EU to the United States (US) and other countries.

The GDPR contains strict rules on transferring data from the EU to third countries, and this case deals with the compatibility of these rules with surveillance laws in other countries.

What has the Court decided?

The headline outcome is that:

  • The Privacy Shield decision is invalid with immediate effect – this means that companies can no longer rely on a Privacy Shield certification when transferring personal data to the US.
  • Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are valid – but their use is subject to certain pre-conditions and ongoing obligations.

Continue Reading Schrems II – The Verdict

Alice Chaplin

In a recent case, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) considered whether a functional shape is precluded from copyright protection. The case was referred from the Commercial Court of Liège (Belgium) (C-833/18).

Background

The original case before the Commercial Court of Liège concerned a claim for copyright infringement brought by an English company, Brompton Bicycle Ltd (Brompton). Since 1987, Brompton has marketed and sold folding bicycles. The Brompton Bicycle, which was protected by a patent until 1999, has the distinct feature of having three different positions: (i) a folded position; (ii) an unfolded position; and (iii) a stand-by position enabling it to stay balanced on the ground.

When a South Korean company, Get2Get, started marketing a bicycle that could also be folded into the same three positions as the Brompton Bicycle, Brompton brought a claim for copyright infringement. In its defence, Get2Get claimed that the shape of the Brompton Bicycle could not be protected by copyright law because its appearance is dictated by the technical solution sought, which is to ensure that the bicycle can be folded into three different positions.Continue Reading Is a functional shape precluded from copyright protection?

In recent weeks, employers have been busy implementing the recommendations set out in the Government’s Return to Work Safely Protocol, in preparation for employees returning to the workplace.  Somewhat surprisingly, the Protocol makes no reference to the need to comply with data protection law, yet the measures recommended by the Protocol involve the processing personal data, in particular health data.

There has been a growing concern amongst employers in regard to how to ensure compliance with data protection law when implementing the protocol, in particular in relation to the issue and retention of pre-return to work questionnaires; use of contact…
Continue Reading DPC Guidance on Return to Work Safely Protocol

​The register of one-stop-shop decisions is now live on the EDPB website. It contains access to summaries and final decisions adopted by the Lead Supervisory Authorities (LSAs), working together with other concerned authorities. The decisions concern a range of data protection compliance issues, in particular, data subject rights; lawfulness of processing, data breaches, security, and transparency requirements. In many cases, the LSAs concluded there was no violation of the GDPR. In the event there was a violation, the LSAs, for the most part, issued reprimands or compliance orders, rather than fines.
Continue Reading EDPB’s register of one-stop-shop decisions now live

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has published a two year Regulatory Activities Report, which reviews the range of its regulatory tasks from 25 May 2018 to 25 May 2020.

​The Report notes that the purpose of the two-year assessment is “to provide a wider-angled lens through which to assess the work of the DPC since the implementation of the GDPR; in particular, to examine wider datasets and annual trends to see what patterns can be identified.” Continue Reading DPC publishes Regulatory Activities Report for 2018-2020

As part of their lockdown exit strategy, governments around the world are launching Apps with contact tracing functions. The idea behind these Apps is that users will be alerted when another App user has tested positive to Covid-19, thereby enabling them to take appropriate action, such as self-isolating or undergoing testing.

It remains to be seen how effective contact tracing Apps will be in the fight against Covid-19, but it is clear that in order for the Apps to work, they need to be widely downloaded and used. The popularity, acceptance, and use of the Apps will undoubtedly depend on …
Continue Reading Contact Tracing Apps – A Privacy Primer