Those who travel to Germany are often taken by surprise when they discover the lack of open Wi‑Fi networks. This happens because German law (Störerhaftung – “duty of care”) places responsibility on the operators of public hotspots for what their network users do online, especially if their actions are against the law, even if the entrepreneurs are unaware. 
The law does not apply to commercial enterprises, but to individuals (think of your home Wi‑Fi) and small businesses (e.g., wireless networks from public buildings, such as cafés, stores, etc.).
Όμως κάτι άλλαξε. Η αλλαγή προκλήθηκε μετά από την πρόσφατη γνωμοδότηση του κ. Maciej Szpunar, που είναι γενικός εισαγγελέας του Δικαστηρίου των Ευρωπαϊκών Κοινοτήτων ή European Court of Justice (ECJ), και αναφέρει ότι «ο φορέας εκμετάλλευσης ενός καταστήματος, ξενοδοχείου ή μπαρ που προσφέρει ένα δωρεάν δίκτυο Wi-Fi στο κοινό, δεν είναι υπεύθυνος για τις παραβάσεις πνευματικών δικαιωμάτων που διαπράττονται από τους χρήστες του δικτύου.”
“Despite the fact that an order may be issued against the said entity to force it to stop the breach, it is not possible to require the termination or blocking of the Internet connection or the investigation of all communications transmitted through it”, he added.
The announcement was issued in response to the case of a member of the German Pirates Party, Tobias McFadden, who runs a business near Munich that offers free Wi-Fi to the public.
Mr. Tobias McFadden was sued by Sony when a user of the free wireless network tried to download Sony's music.
The German Parliament has already discussed the “duty of care” responsibility, and the largest coalition in Germany (the coalition of the Christian Democrats (CDU) as well as the Social Democratic Party (SPD)) agreed to the amendments that will remove the “piracy liability” for operators of open Wi-Fi networks.
According to Spiegel online, the amendments are expected to pass the German parliament next week, and could be implemented as early as this autumn.
