Unfair advertising?

Swiss stone pine entrepreneur takes corporations to court

Daniel Albart specializes in Swiss stone pine. He offers various products through his company "Zirbelino".

(Bild: Rojsek-Wiedergut Uta)

Daniel Abart is not afraid of large corporations. On the contrary: he takes them to court. Having already sued Amazon, the Carinthian Swiss stone pine manufacturer is now also taking legal action against the Red Bull Group in Salzburg. He is concerned with "fairness, transparency and consumer protection", as he reveals to the "Krone" newspaper.

Can the health properties of Swiss stone pine be advertised - without scientific evidence? This is the question at the heart of the civil action brought by Carinthian entrepreneur Daniel Albart, who offers a wide range of Swiss stone pine products through his company "Zirbelino". What Abart does not do when advertising his products is attribute health-promoting properties to Swiss stone pine, such as a reduction in heart rate. There is still no scientific proof of this.

We continue to advocate fair competition, transparency and education in the interests of consumer protection.

Daniel Abart, Geschäftsführer „Zirbelino“

"We are concerned with fairness"
It is precisely this type of misleading or unfair advertising that is a thorn in Abart's side, as it has already been banned from such advertising by the courts in Germany. "We are concerned with fairness, transparency and consumer protection," emphasizes the Carinthian. The same rules should apply to everyone in economic competition - especially for corporations. That is why he has already filed a civil lawsuit against Amazon, which is responsible for the content in the online stores. With initial success: the Villach District Court granted the "interim injunction".

Now Abart has Red Bull in his sights: according to his lawsuit, subsidiaries of the Salzburg-based energy drink manufacturer have unfairly advertised Swiss stone pine products. The Carinthian therefore also filed a lawsuit here and applied for a temporary injunction. On Wednesday, the case was heard at the Salzburg Regional Court. So far without a result.