DELFI AS v. ESTONIA JUDGMENT
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obligations performed in good faith. A right shall not be exercised in an
unlawful manner or with the aim of causing damage to another person.
33. Paragraph 2 of section 134 of the Obligations Act (Võlaõigusseadus)
provides:
“In the case of an obligation to compensate for damage arising from ... violation of a
personality right, in particular from defamation, the obligated person shall compensate
the aggrieved person for non-pecuniary damage only if this is justified by the gravity
of the violation, in particular by physical or emotional distress.”
34. Section 1043 of the Obligations Act provides that a person
(tortfeasor) who unlawfully causes damage to another person (victim) shall
compensate for the damage if the tortfeasor is culpable (süüdi) of causing
the damage or is liable (vastutab) for causing the damage pursuant to law
35. Section 1045 of the Obligations Act stipulates that the causing of
damage is unlawful if, inter alia, the damage is caused by violation of a
personality right of the victim.
36. The Obligations Act further provides:
Section 1046 – Unlawfulness of damage to personality rights
“(1) Defamation of a person, inter alia by passing undue judgment, by the
unjustified use of the name or image of the person, or by breaching the inviolability of
the private life or another personality right of the person, is unlawful unless otherwise
provided by law. Upon the establishment of unlawfulness, the type of violation, the
reason and motive for the violation and the gravity of the violation relative to the aim
pursued thereby shall be taken into consideration.
(2) The violation of a personality right is not unlawful if the violation is justified in
view of other legal rights protected by law and the rights of third parties or public
interests. In such cases unlawfulness shall be established on the basis of the
comparative assessment of different legal rights and interests protected by law.”
Section 1047 – Unlawfulness of disclosure of incorrect information
“(1) Violation of personality rights or interference with the economic or
professional activities of a person by way of disclosure [avaldamine] of incorrect
information or by incomplete or misleading disclosure of information concerning the
person or the activities of the person, is unlawful unless the person who discloses such
information proves that, upon disclosure thereof, the person was not aware and was
not required to be aware that such information was incorrect or incomplete.
(2) Disclosure of defamatory matters concerning a person, or matters which may
adversely affect the economic situation of a person, is deemed to be unlawful unless
the person who discloses such matters proves that the statement he or she makes is
true.
(3) Regardless of the provisions of subsections (1) and (2) of this section, the
disclosure of information or other matters is not deemed to be unlawful if the person
who discloses the information or other matters or the person to whom such matters are
disclosed has a legitimate interest in the disclosure, and if the person who discloses