[Legal limits of (online) marketing for doctors]

The online marketing of physicians must be measured against the same advertising regulations as conventional marketing. In this context, the Medical Professional Code of Conduct, the Medical Products Advertising Act ("Heilmittelwerbegesetz") and the Law against Unfair Competition are particularly relevant. In addition, data and personal rights aspects have to be considered in the area of online marketing. Despite increasing liberalisation tendencies, there continue to be considerable legal advertising limits for doctors, which are outlined in this article. The relatively high number of current court rulings cited in the article also shows that there are questions yet to be clarified with regard to all regulations. The judgements, which are often strongly related to the individual cases, have not answered all questions conclusively. Nevertheless, it can be stated that the legal limits of medical marketing have never been more liberal than they are now.