Dresden Courthouse Court in the Dresden region. - No resolution in honey dispute anticipated by mid-July.
In the ongoing "Honey Dispute" between German satirist Jan Böhmermann and Saxon beekeeper Rico Heinzig, another effort at resolution has fallen through. On Tuesday, both sides laid out their arguments before a civil court in Dresden. A ruling will be issued on July 18th, said Presiding Judge Markus Schlueter after approximately an hour.
Böhmermann, represented by an attorney, alleges that his personal rights have been infringed upon due to the utilization of his name and image by Heinzig to market a certain type of "beewashed" honey.
This debacle stems from a segment of the "ZDF Magazin Royale" show on November 3, 2023, where Böhmermann criticized businesses granting bee sponsorships, claiming it was a form of misleading advertising. Companies that promote such practices, he said, are merely engaging in "beewashing." Heinzig and his company, My Honey, were used as an example.
Heinzig responded by creating a bottle of "beewashed" honey featuring Böhmermann's name and image embellished with the statement, "Recommended by top bee and roach expert." Böhmermann subsequently took legal action, serving Heinzig with a cease-and-desist order, which went unheeded and prompted him to request a preliminary injunction from the Dresden District Court. A civil court judge, however, denied this request and ultimately sided with the beekeeper.
Judge Schlueter noted that the civil court's perspective might align with the lower court in certain aspects. The sarcastic nature of the controversial poster, for instance, is discernible. Viewers familiar with Böhmermann would recognize the image and accompanying text as a critique of the program and its self-righteous, "know-it-all" tone.
