German court says E-Postbrief cannot replace physical mail
Deutsche Post has been told it cannot advertise its digital postal mail service – E-Postbrief – as being as secure as the sending of traditional paper letters. A district court in Bonn made the order following a complaint made by Germany’s Federation of Consumer Organisations.
Deutsche Post said it will seek to appeal the verdict, and that it had always stated that in some circumstances a written letter is required.
The advertising campaign had suggested that the E-Postbrief offered “all the benefits of the traditional letter via the internet”, including all the confidentiality, authenticity and reliability of the physical mail.
However, the court decided that this was not always the case, and that consumers could be given the impression that legally-binding agreements could be sent through the electronic mail service.
The advertising was not correct, judges said, since there was no qualified electronic signature service suitable to replace the traditional mail for legal documents. Some legal documents such as property deeds require a handwritten signature, said the ruling.
Deutsche Post signed up one of the top football clubs in Germany’s Bundesliga on Monday to use the E-Postbrief mailing system.
The football club said it will use the service to communicate with its 26,000 fans and partners, as well as for handling ordering and payment for club merchandise.
It is also considering using the service in its ticket sale process.
Wolfgang Holzhäuser, managing director of Bayer 04 Leverkusen GmbH, said: “We want to inform and interact with our fans and partners. Speed and security are the key factors here. That’s why we’ve opted for E-Postbrief.”
Ralph Wiegand, a board member for Deutsche Post’s letters unit, said his company would also become one of Bayer Leverkusen’s sponsors.
“The ever-increasing interest in sports at our company, the media presence of the Bundesliga and the thrills and spills on the pitch create an ideal platform for E-Postbrief,” he said.
