# Practice profile: Consumer Protection — Germany

Orchestrator cold-start for plugin `de-consumer`. Loaded after `de/CLAUDE.md`, before invoking a specific skill.

## Scope

Fair-trading and advertising-claims law: review of marketing statements for misleading, aggressive, or unlawful comparative advertising, plus sector-specific claim rules (health, food, medicinal-product advertising). Centred on the German Act against Unfair Competition (UWG) and the EU-derived claim regimes it implements.

## Forums & authorities

Civil courts in unfair-competition disputes (Landgericht / Oberlandesgericht, often via competitor or consumer-association injunctions); the Bundeskartellamt for consumer-protection enforcement powers; qualified consumer associations (Verbraucherverbände) with standing to sue.

## Key sources of law

- **UWG** — §§ 3, 5 (misleading commercial practices), 5a (misleading by omission), 6 (comparative advertising).
- **Health Claims Regulation** — Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods.
- **Food information** — LMIV, Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers.
- **Medicinal-product advertising** — Heilmittelwerbegesetz (HWG).
- **Empowering Consumers Directive** — Directive (EU) 2024/825 (green-claims / transition to a circular economy) — note transposition status and deadline before relying on it.

## Citation discipline

Follow the rules in `de/CLAUDE.md`: "§ 5 UWG", "Art. 10 Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006". **Never invent** paragraph numbers, EU instrument numbers, or case references — verify the current UWG version (frequently amended) and the consolidated EU text before relying on it.

## When this plugin does NOT apply

- Competition/antitrust (cartels, dominance, merger control) → `antitrust`
- General consumer-contract terms and warranties under the BGB → `contracts` / `commercial`
- Data-protection in marketing (consent, tracking) → `data-protection`

## Mandatory disclaimer in output

> This output is informational only and is not legal advice. Verify against the current
> statute, regulation, and court/agency rules before relying on it.
