- Enforcing jurisdiction
- Finland · Geography does not establish applicable law.
- Confirmed applicable legislation
- No confirmed legal basis recorded.
- Privacy topics
Kymenlaakson Käräjäoikeus – Court Ruling (Finland, 2024)
Privacy enforcement record
This record is classified outside cookie consent. Subject classification does not confirm an applicable law. It is not included in cookie statistics or the Risk Calculator.
A Finnish court ruled that it would not provide case lists and public decision summaries requested by a claimant. The court stated that while public documents should be accessible, the request did not meet the criteria for journalistic activity, as it was intended for a private website.
What happened
The District Court of Kymenlaakso denied a request for access to public court documents.
Who was affected
The claimant, who wanted to use the information for a website and academic purposes.
What the authority found
The court decided that the request did not qualify as journalistic activity under Finnish law.
Why this matters
This case highlights the importance of understanding the legal definitions of journalistic activity when seeking access to public documents. Website operators should be aware that not all requests for information may be granted, especially if they do not align with legal standards.
View original scraped data
Original imported citations before automated processing; the processing history does not establish independent verification.
Source checks
Linked-source text retrieved.
Automated check recorded — 20 March 2026.
Processing notes: articles corrected, national law identified, authority corrected.
Retrieved text may be a secondary summary or an announcement. These automated statuses do not establish that the original decision was read or that the record received an independent legal review. How we check sources
A claimant requested the District Court of Kymeenlaakso (Kymenlaakson käräjäoikeus) to provide all case lists and public decision summaries that are not published on the court's website. The claimant intended to use this information to create content for his website. He also stated that he studies court decisions for academic purposes, specifically to assess whether the decisions are consistent and the reasoning behind them is understandable. The District Court declined the request to provide the information. According to the Law on litigation in public courts ([https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/2007/20070370?__cf_chl_tk=BkGgxvbQAG3BnbpWiuKtw2bDwQUvFLqD.DATyw87Tj0-1724049343-0.0.1.1-5566 Oikeudenkäynnin julkisuuslaki]), everyone has the right to access public court documents. The court is responsible for publishing case lists prior to hearings, and if a case is declared classified, the court is required to produce a public summary of the case. The Act on the Publicity of the Activities of Public Authorities ([https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1999/19990621 Julkisuuslaki]) in § 1 explicitly states that documents produced by authorities are public unless specific laws make them confidential. § 16 of the Act on the Publicity of the Activities of Public Authorities limits the disclosure of personal information, even when the document itself is not classified. The recipient must have the right to process such personal data. According to Article 85 GDPR, member states must balance freedom of speech and freedom of information with protection of personal data in their national legislation. Finland's Act on the Publicity of the Activities of Public Authorities allows journalists to access personal information for journalistic purposes. The requested documents contain personal information, such as the names of defendants. According to the District Court’s reasoning, publishing on a private website does not qualify as journalistic activity that would justify t
Outcome
Court Ruling
A ruling by a national court on a data-protection matter.
Related Cases (0)
No other cases found for Kymenlaakson Käräjäoikeus in FI
This is the only recorded case for this entity in this jurisdiction.
Details
Ruling Date
3 June 2024
Authority
DPA Kymenlaaksonkrjoikeu
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. Kymenlaakson Käräjäoikeus - Finland (2024). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
Last updated: