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Oliver Kahn Kerstin Joensson/AP/Press Association Images

Oliver Kahn loses court case over photos of his children being published despite ban

Two magazines repeatedly published photos of his children despite a blanket ban.

FORMER GERMAN GOALKEEPER Oliver Kahn has lost a case he brought to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over images of his children being published in two magazines.

Kahn’s children with his ex-wife Simone, Katharina-Maria and David, were born in 1998 and 2003 respectively.

Between July 2004 and June 2009 the magazines Neue Woche and Viel Spass, owned by the same publisher, printed several photos of the family.

In 2005 the Hamburg Regional Court ordered the publisher to refrain from printing any of the photos or risk a fine for non-compliance.

Following the publication of another set of photos in 2007, the applicants obtained three orders against the publisher requiring it to pay successive fines of €5,000, €7,500 and €15,000.

In December 2007 the applicants applied to the Hamburg Regional Court for an order requiring the publisher to pay them at least €40,000 each for publishing the photos without their consent.

In two judgments on 11 July 2008 the Regional Court found in the applicants’ favour and awarded them the sums claimed. The court considered that there had been a serious breach of their right to privacy.

The Hamburg Court of Appeal quashed this judgement in November of that year.

It accepted that the publisher had persistently breached the blanket ban on publishing the images, despite the fines that had already been imposed.

However, the court held that it was not necessary to award additional compensation. The subject of the reports had not been the children themselves, rather their parents’ marriage breakdown and their father’s career.

Privacy

On 23 September 2009 a three-judge formation of the Federal Constitutional Court declined to examine constitutional appeals lodged by Kahn and his ex-wife.

He brought the case to the ECHR under Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) of the European Convention on Human Rights. It was lodged on 22 March 2010.

The ECHR concluded that German authorities had not failed in their obligation to provide protection for Kahn’s family and their right to privacy.

The court accepted the finding of the German courts that, in view of the nature of the photos, there had been no reason to award additional compensation.

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17 Comments
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    Mute jane
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    Mar 17th 2016, 2:47 PM

    Don’t care who you are your kids should be off limits.

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    Mute Matt Connolly
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    Mar 17th 2016, 7:27 PM

    German law is different to ours (& the UK is ridiculously paranoid). Their balance between right to privacy and press freedom/freedom of expression, is far superior to most other countries. When it comes to figures in the public eye, there is a sliding scale. The more a figure/person is in the public eye, the less privacy they can expect.

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    Mute Bob Freeman
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    Mar 17th 2016, 2:28 PM

    The Daily Mail are the worst for this. The tag lines they put under the photos are even worse too ” So and So’s 2 year looks stunning in her new dress, leggy like her mother”

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    Mute Brian Cowan
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    Mar 17th 2016, 2:35 PM

    Never forget that the Daily Mail supported Hitler before the Second World War.

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    Mute Alan Kennedy
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    Mar 17th 2016, 3:04 PM

    So did half of Germany!

    Relevance?

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    Mute David McShite
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    Mar 17th 2016, 3:38 PM

    And Dev…..

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Mar 17th 2016, 8:39 PM

    Look who’s all grown up is another sleezy tag line. Kids should be off limits.

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    Mute Dermot Collins
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    Mar 17th 2016, 2:37 PM

    Never forget he was one of the greatest keepers ever

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    Mute Mike O'Sullivan
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    Mar 17th 2016, 2:39 PM

    Hitler was a goalkeeper?

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    Mute Anthony John Cotter
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    Mar 17th 2016, 2:41 PM

    He got to wear a number 1 on his back!

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    Mute Briain O'Dochartaigh
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    Mar 17th 2016, 3:25 PM

    Kahnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!

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    Mute Steven Pierce
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    Mar 17th 2016, 2:52 PM

    Could have been one of the best only he was busy with other things

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    Mute Noel Falkhall
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    Mar 17th 2016, 3:44 PM

    He was some Kahnt

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    Mute Dave Meagher
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    Mar 17th 2016, 5:24 PM

    And most of Ireland but I suppose that will be revised now ya ?

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    Mute karl
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    Mar 18th 2016, 8:04 AM

    He has gone from Oliver khan to Oliver khant !

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Mar 17th 2016, 6:59 PM

    And it’s not a stance to be ashamed of. As with much of eastern Europe we supported the side that fought what was at that time our enemy. People of Russian occupied countries went and joined the Germans too.

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    Mute Jon Hayes
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    Mar 17th 2016, 3:15 PM

    Brilliant

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