Last but not least: Unlucky Dieter
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that a Lucky Strike ad from 2003 was not as bad as Dieter Bohlen thought.
It is well known that the European Court of Human Rights has a lot to do. But it also has to deal with really important issues often enough. Most recently with Dieter Bohlen. Even after 13 years, he still does not find an advertisement by the Lucky Strike cigarette brand funny. In 2003, the Hamburg agency Geometry Global pointedly alluded to the pop titan's book "Behind the Scenes", which was published in the same year. Because some of the celebrities described in the book had successfully sued, certain passages had to be blacked out.
Like many passionate spankers, Bohlen does not seem to like taking it. Together with Ernst August Prinz von Hannover, known as the "Prügelprinz" and also a "victim" of this campaign three years earlier, Bohlen turned to the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) in 2008. The claim for damages for personal injury was rejected.
Seven years later, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) confirmed the ruling and, according to Wuv.de even praised. The ECtHR ruled that the advertisement was satirical and therefore permissible in the context of freedom of expression, as Horizon.net writes.
British American Tobacco and the agency responsible are celebrating the victory by rubbing a little salt into the wound of Bohlen's painful (supposed) personality violation. A new Bohlen subject complements the "Echt." campaign launched in 2013, in which - surprise! - sentences are cut down so that only the genuineness of the cigarette brand remains (e.g. "Hauptsache you make it all rreal" or "Almost as good as the original").
Hopefully Bohlen will take it in his stride and leave Strasbourg alone this time. And doesn't appeal against the latest ruling. Then perhaps the important court will finally have time to deal with real human rights cases - for example Roger Schawinski's Radio license - to take care of. (hae)
