CK • Washington.   Im Revisionsentscheid Jack Gershfeld v. Teamviewer US Inc. beurteilt das Bundesberufungsgericht des Neunten Bezirks in San Francisco am 20, Januar 2023 die vom Kläger gerügte Verlängerung eines Softwarevertrages. Der Kläger behauptete, die Verlängerung sei unwirksam, denn er habe sie nicht gestattet, bevor der Lieferant ihm eine Gebühr in Rechnung stellte.

Das Untergericht hatte die Klage nach Prüfung der Vertragsbedingungen des Lizenzgebers abgewiesen. Die Revision entschied, diese Entscheidung sei richtig gewesen, denn erstens durfte das Gericht selbst die in Schriftsätzen erwähnten Bedingungen suchen und einsehen, und zweitens gestatteten diese nach ihrer Annahme durch die Kunden rechtmäßig die automatische Verlängerung und Rechnungsstellung:

The district court below did not abuse its discretion in incorporating by reference the exhibits submitted in connection with TeamViewer US’s motion to dismiss. The incorporated documents, which set forth the relevant terms and disclosures of the subscription purchase and renewal, form the basis of the transaction Gershfeld challenged in his complaint. Gershfeld's claims necessarily rely on the contents of the exhibits attached by TeamViewer US. The viability of Gershfeld's claims is dependent upon the extent and sufficiency of TeamViewer US's disclosures; as such, the disclosures form the basis of the claims themselves. … In light of the incorporated material, Gershfeld did not plead a plausible claim for a violation of either California's Consumer Privacy Act or its Unfair Competition Law, nor did he plausibly plead a claim for any violation of California's automatic renewal law. Gershfeld was put on notice, both initially and thereafter, of the automatic renewal and the terms thereof; he was informed of the software subscription price, the price increase upon renewal, the cancellation policy, and the cancellation process. Gershfeld consented to the terms of the purchase, which were presented in a clear and conspicuous manner, and authorized TeamViewer US to renew his software subscription automatically.