Can exclusive or continuous publicity of a product be regarded as advertising despite the fact that the advertising has not been ordered?

Nereguliuojama reklama dažnu atveju balansuoja ties teisėtumo riba, o šiandien reklamos reguliavimas yra ypač svarbus, nes inovacijos ir pokyčiai seka vienas kitą, o tradiciniai reguliavimo įrankiai dažnai yra neefektyvūs idant užtikrintų tinkamą įvairių interesų apsaugą – vartotojų teises, teisėtus reklamos davėjų/kūrėjų interesus, saviraiškos laisvę. Nuomonės formuotojo skleidžiama informacija dažnu atveju ir balansuoja ties minėta teisėtumo riba, nes vidutiniam vartotojui nėra aišku, kaip identifikuoti reklamą nuomonės formuotojo kanale, kuomet ji nepažymėta, kaip vartotojui atskirti reklamą nuo asmeninės nuomonės, jei tokia išvis galima komercinio pobūdžio nuomonės formuotojo kanale. Vienas pagrindinių rūpesčių yra būtinybė užtikrinti socialiniuose tinkluose plintančios komercinės reklamos skaidrumą bei vartotojų apsisprendimo laisvę, tačiau, kyla klausimas, ar tradicinės taisyklės, taikomos reklamai, yra pakankamos, ar, visgi, reikalingos ad hoc taisyklės? Ar vartotojų apsauga gali būti suderinama su saviraiškos laisve? Darbe iškelta hipotezė, jog produkto ar paslaugos viešinimas nuomonės formuotojo paskyroje gali būti pripažintas reklama, nepaisant, kad reklama nebuvo užsakyta ar gautas apmokėjimas už ją. Apmokėjimas ar nurodymų dėl produkto viešinimo davimas savaime pranešimą visada padaro reklama, tačiau, ar ir be jų nuomonės formuotojo pranešimas gali būti prilygintas reklamai? Magistro baigiamajame darbe atskleidžiama reklamos samprata bei nuomonės formuotojui taikomi reikalavimai, kuomet jis dalinasi informacija savo kanale, taip pat pateikiama įvairių valstybių tai-koma praktika dėl asmeninės nuomonės ir reklamos atskyrimo nuomonės formuotojo kanale, o taip pat atskleidžiama, ar atlygintinumo kriterijus yra privalomas, norint pranešimą pripažinti reklama.Magistro baigiamajame darbe įvertinus valstybių narių taikomą praktiką, apžvelgus Europos Sąjungos ir Lietuvos teisės aktus, reguliuojančius reklamą, padarytos sekančios išvados: nuolatinis ar išskirtinis produkto ar paslaugos viešinimas nuomonės formuotojo kanale gali būti pripažintas reklama, nepaisant to, kad reklama nebuvo užsakyta ar duoti atitinkami nurodymai dėl jos pateikimo. Nors ir su-tinkama, jog pagrindinis reklamos nuomonės formuotojų kanaluose atskirtinumas nuo asmeninės nuomonės yra atlygis, ir toks užsakytas pranešimas, už kurį buvo gauta finansinė nauda visada bus pripažįstamas reklama, tačiau ir negavus atlyginimo ar negavus užsakymo reklamuoti prekę ir/ar paslaugą, nuomonės formuotojo skelbiamas turinys gali būti pripažintas reklama, jei: jis yra pakartotinio pobūdžio, jame skambės ypač teigiami atsiliepimai, jame bus skatinama įsigyti prekių ir/ar paslaugų, jis turės didelį sekėjų skaičių, o įrašo turinys nebus suprantamas kaip jo ideologijaUnregulated advertising often balances on the verge of legitimacy, particularly today the regulation of advertising is especially important as innovation and change follow each other, and traditional regulatory tools are often ineffective in ensuring adequate protection of various interests - consumer rights, legitimate interests of advertisers / creators, word freedom. The information disseminated by influencer often balances on the verge of legitimacy, therefore often it is not clear to the average consumer how to identify advertising in influencer channel, especially when it is not marked, how to distinguish it from personal opinion, if personal opinion is possible at all in influencers commercial channel (as it often is influencers source of livelihood). One of the main concerns is the need to ensure the transparency of commercial advertising on influencers social networks and the freedom of choice of consumers. And the question arises - whether traditional rules on advertising are sufficient or whether ad hoc rules are needed? Can consumer protection be compatible with freedom of expression/freedom of word?The aim of the thesis to reveal whether the promotion of a product or service in influencers channel can be recognized as an advertisement, despite the fact that the advertisement has not been ordered or paid for. The thesis hypothesizes, that the publicity of a product or service in influencers channel can be recognized as an advertisement, regardless of the fact that the advertisement has not been ordered or payment has been received for it.In the first section of thesis the concept of advertising and its regulation and history are examined, the purpose of regulation of advertisement is reviewed, also it is discussed about the interests, which are protected by the regulation of advertising and between which the compromise is sought. The concept of advertising, presented in dictionaries, legal literature is reviewed, the laws applicable to advertising and their development are analysed. The requirements for advertising are set out at the end of the first section.The second section of thesis focuses on advertising in influencers social channels, based on case law and applicable guidelines, also on reviews when opinion formers' information is considered asadvertising. This part reviews the practice of Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Austria and Lithuania in regulating the labelling of advertising in the influencer’s social channels, defines the peculiarities of advertising labelling and the cases when advertising must be marked as such. Thesis also provides case law practice in the above countries by revealing relevant case law, various guidelines of the responsible authorities, different understanding and approach on regulation of advertisement in influencers channel. At the end of the thesis, it is revealed, that continuous or exclusive promotion of a product or service through in influencers channel may be considered as advertising, notwithstanding that the advertising has not been ordered or that appropriate instructions have been given for its presentation. While it is agreed that the main difference between advertising and personal opinion is remuneration, and such a commissioned message for which a financial benefit has been obtained will always be recognized as advertising, the information provided free of charge will also be considered as advertisement considering these aspects: (i) if influencer has large number of followers, it is likely that the purpose of his channel is purely commercial, as influencer always seeks to increase the number of his followers. A large number of followers is also related to influencing - the higher it is, the greater the influence of influencer post with the brand or service mark mentioned in it is, (ii) the purpose of influencers post - if it is intended to increase sales, it unambiguously means advertising and must be marked as such, (iii) particularly positive feedback about the brand or service brand. The seller of product or service receives a clear benefit, as consumers often view the influencer as a friend but not as a commercial channel, (iv) indisputable link between the influencers posts and the interest in the products that were seen in the latter and their (potential) increase in sales, (v) alternation of promotional and personal content, etc.Different countries, in principle, have a sufficiently uniform understanding and interpretation of the issue of the separation of advertising and personal opinion in influencers channel. It is agreed that instructing influencer to mark his post as promotional does not constitute a restriction on his freedom of expression or word, as the publication of the posts is not prohibited – ie. freedom of expression/word is not restricted, simply to protect fundamental human rights, entries must be marked in accordance with legal requirements in order to avoid opacity or hidden advertising. Since the objectives of the thesis have been reached, it can be concluded that the hypothesis of the thesis has been confirmed and the publicity of a product or service in influencers channel can be recognized as an advertisement, regardless of the fact that the advertisement has not been ordered or payment has been received for it.Teisės fakulteta