This scenario has put many small businesses - such as cafes and hotels, as well as private individuals - off providing free WiFi. The new draft law is an amendment to a piece of legislation introduced in 2016 that attempted to exempt WiFi providers for liability for copyright infringement. But due to poor wording of the law, copyright lawyers have continued to threaten providers with legal consequences. In September the European Court of Justice ruled that those who provide open WiFi could not be made liable to prosecution, forcing Germany to look again at its legislation. According to Spiegel, the Economy Ministry hopes that the amendment will help it realize one of the cornerstones of the federal government's digital policy - creating password-free WiFi access for all Germans.

Source: The Local February 28, 2017 15:00 UTC