Schrems v. Data Protection Commissioner (Joined by Digital Rights Ireland) [Schrems I]

Case C-362/14 (2015)

From our private database of 46,500+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Schrems v. Data Protection Commissioner (Joined by Digital Rights Ireland) [Schrems I]

European Court of Justice
Case C-362/14 (2015)

SC

Facts

In 2005 the United States negotiated a safe-harbor treaty with the European Data Protection Commission (the commission). Under the agreement, the United States and companies that signed on met the European Union’s requirement that other countries adequately protect European Union residents’ personal data. Organizations, including Facebook, were invited to join the agreement. However, the agreement provided that national security or other public interests prevailed over the safe-harbor principles if they conflicted. After Edward Snowden’s revelations about the National Security Agency’s data collection, questions arose in the European Union about the continuing efficacy of the agreement. Maximillian Schrems (plaintiff) was an Austrian resident who used Facebook. Any European resident who used Facebook was required to make a contract with Facebook Ireland Ltd prior to such use. Facebook Ireland transferred such users’ data to its American parent, Facebook Inc. Facebook Inc. then stored the users’ personal data on servers in the United States. Schrems filed a complaint with the commission, claiming that United States privacy law did not adequately protect European users’ personal data. As a result, Schrems asked the commission to prohibit Facebook Ireland from transferring any such data to the United States. The commission declined Schrems’s request. Schrems filed an application with the European Court of Justice to appeal the decision.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Per curiam)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 832,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,500 briefs - keyed to 994 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership