keyboard_tab Data Act 2023/2854 EN

1.   Where data cannot be directly accessed by the user from the connected_product or related_service, data holders shall make readily available data, as well as the relevant meta data necessary to interpret and use those data, accessible to the user without undue delay, of the same quality as is available to the data holder, easily, securely, free of charge, in a comprehensive, structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and, where relevant and technically feasible, continuously and in real-time. This shall be done on the basis of a simple request through electronic means where technically feasible.

2.   Users and data holders may contractually restrict or prohibit accessing, using or further sharing data, if such processing could undermine security requirements of the connected_product, as laid down by Union or national law, resulting in a serious adverse effect on the health, safety or security of natural persons. Sectoral authorities may provide users and data holders with technical expertise in that context. Where the data holder refuses to share data pursuant to this Article, it shall notify the competent authority designated pursuant to Article 37.

3.   Without prejudice to the user’s right to seek redress at any stage before a court or tribunal of a Member State, the user may, in relation to any dispute with the data holder concerning the contractual restrictions or prohibitions referred to in paragraph 2:

4.   Data holders shall not make the exercise of choices or rights under this Article by the user unduly difficult, including by offering choices to the user in a non-neutral manner or by subverting or impairing the autonomy, decision-making or choices of the user via the structure, design, function or manner of operation of a user digital interface or a part thereof.

5.   For the purpose of verifying whether a natural or legal person qualifies as a user for the purposes of paragraph 1, a data holder shall not require that person to provide any information beyond what is necessary. Data holders shall not keep any information, in particular log data, on the user’s access to the data requested beyond what is necessary for the sound execution of the user’s access request and for the security and maintenance of the data infrastructure.

6.   Trade secrets shall be preserved and shall be disclosed only where the data holder and the user take all necessary measures prior to the disclosure to preserve their confidentiality in particular regarding third parties. The data holder or, where they are not the same person, the trade_secret holder shall identify the data which are protected as trade_secrets, including in the relevant meta data, and shall agree with the user proportionate technical and organisational measures necessary to preserve the confidentiality of the shared data, in particular in relation to third parties, such as model contractual terms, confidentiality agreements, strict access protocols, technical standards and the application of codes of conduct.

7.   Where there is no agreement on the necessary measures referred to in paragraph 6, or if the user fails to implement the measures agreed pursuant to paragraph 6 or undermines the confidentiality of the trade_secrets, the data holder may withhold or, as the case may be, suspend the sharing of data identified as trade_secrets. The decision of the data holder shall be duly substantiated and provided in writing to the user without undue delay. In such cases, the data holder shall notify the competent authority designated pursuant to Article 37 that it has withheld or suspended data sharing and identify which measures have not been agreed or implemented and, where relevant, which trade_secrets have had their confidentiality undermined.

8.   In exceptional circumstances, where the data holder who is a trade_secret holder is able to demonstrate that it is highly likely to suffer serious economic damage from the disclosure of trade_secrets, despite the technical and organisational measures taken by the user pursuant to paragraph 6 of this Article, that data holder may refuse on a case-by-case basis a request for access to the specific data in question. That demonstration shall be duly substantiated on the basis of objective elements, in particular the enforceability of trade_secrets protection in third countries, the nature and level of confidentiality of the data requested, and the uniqueness and novelty of the connected_product, and shall be provided in writing to the user without undue delay. Where the data holder refuses to share data pursuant to this paragraph, it shall notify the competent authority designated pursuant to Article 37.

9.   Without prejudice to a user’s right to seek redress at any stage before a court or tribunal of a Member State, a user wishing to challenge a data holder’s decision to refuse or to withhold or suspend data sharing pursuant to paragraphs 7 and 8 may:

10.   The user shall not use the data obtained pursuant to a request referred to in paragraph 1 to develop a connected_product that competes with the connected_product from which the data originate, nor share the data with a third party with that intent and shall not use such data to derive insights about the economic situation, assets and production methods of the manufacturer or, where applicable the data holder.

11.   The user shall not use coercive means or abuse gaps in the technical infrastructure of a data holder which is designed to protect the data in order to obtain access to data.

12.   Where the user is not the data subject whose personal data is requested, any personal data generated by the use of a connected_product or related_service shall be made available by the data holder to the user only where there is a valid legal basis for processing under Article 6 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and, where relevant, the conditions of Article 9 of that Regulation and of Article 5(3) of Directive 2002/58/EC are fulfilled.

13.   A data holder shall only use any readily available data that is non-personal data on the basis of a contract with the user. A data holder shall not use such data to derive insights about the economic situation, assets and production methods of, or the use by, the user in any other manner that could undermine the commercial position of that user on the markets in which the user is active.

14.   Data holders shall not make available non-personal product data to third parties for commercial or non-commercial purposes other than the fulfilment of their contract with the user. Where relevant, data holders shall contractually bind third parties not to further share data received from them.

1.   Upon request by a user, or by a party acting on behalf of a user, the data holder shall make available readily available data, as well as the relevant meta data necessary to interpret and use those data, to a third party without undue delay, of the same quality as is available to the data holder, easily, securely, free of charge to the user, in a comprehensive, structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and, where relevant and technically feasible, continuously and in real-time. The data shall be made available by the data holder to the third party in accordance with Articles 8 and 9.

2.   Paragraph 1 shall not apply to readily available data in the context of the testing of new connected_products, substances or processes that are not yet placed on the market unless their use by a third party is contractually permitted.

3.   Any undertaking designated as a gatekeeper, pursuant to Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2022/1925, shall not be an eligible third party under this Article and therefore shall not:

4.   For the purpose of verifying whether a natural or legal person qualifies as a user or as a third party for the purposes of paragraph 1, the user or the third party shall not be required to provide any information beyond what is necessary. Data holders shall not keep any information on the third party’s access to the data requested beyond what is necessary for the sound execution of the third party’s access request and for the security and maintenance of the data infrastructure.

5.   The third party shall not use coercive means or abuse gaps in the technical infrastructure of a data holder which is designed to protect the data in order to obtain access to data.

6.   A data holder shall not use any readily available data to derive insights about the economic situation, assets and production methods of, or the use by, the third party in any other manner that could undermine the commercial position of the third party on the markets in which the third party is active, unless the third party has given permission to such use and has the technical possibility to easily withdraw that permission at any time.

7.   Where the user is not the data subject whose personal data is requested, any personal data generated by the use of a connected_product or related_service shall be made available by the data holder to the third party only where there is a valid legal basis for processing under Article 6 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and, where relevant, the conditions of Article 9 of that Regulation and of Article 5(3) of Directive 2002/58/EC are fulfilled.

8.   Any failure on the part of the data holder and the third party to agree on arrangements for transmitting the data shall not hinder, prevent or interfere with the exercise of the rights of the data subject under Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and, in particular, with the right to data portability under Article 20 of that Regulation.

9.   Trade secrets shall be preserved and shall be disclosed to third parties only to the extent that such disclosure is strictly necessary to fulfil the purpose agreed between the user and the third party. The data holder or, where they are not the same person, the trade_secret holder shall identify the data which are protected as trade_secrets, including in the relevant meta data, and shall agree with the third party all proportionate technical and organisational measures necessary to preserve the confidentiality of the shared data, such as model contractual terms, confidentiality agreements, strict access protocols, technical standards and the application of codes of conduct.

10.   Where there is no agreement on the necessary measures referred to in paragraph 9 of this Article or if the third party fails to implement the measures agreed pursuant to paragraph 9 of this Article or undermines the confidentiality of the trade_secrets, the data holder may withhold or, as the case may be, suspend the sharing of data identified as trade_secrets. The decision of the data holder shall be duly substantiated and provided in writing to the third party without undue delay. In such cases, the data holder shall notify the competent authority designated pursuant to Article 37 that it has withheld or suspended data sharing and identify which measures have not been agreed or implemented and, where relevant, which trade_secrets have had their confidentiality undermined.

11.   In exceptional circumstances, where the data holder who is a trade_secret holder is able to demonstrate that it is highly likely to suffer serious economic damage from the disclosure of trade_secrets, despite the technical and organisational measures taken by the third party pursuant to paragraph 9 of this Article, that data holder may refuse on a case-by-case basis a request for access to the specific data in question. That demonstration shall be duly substantiated on the basis of objective elements, in particular the enforceability of trade_secrets protection in third countries, the nature and level of confidentiality of the data requested, and the uniqueness and novelty of the connected_product, and shall be provided in writing to the third party without undue delay. Where the data holder refuses to share data pursuant to this paragraph, it shall notify the competent authority designated pursuant to Article 37.

12.   Without prejudice to the third party’s right to seek redress at any stage before a court or tribunal of a Member State, a third party wishing to challenge a data holder’s decision to refuse or to withhold or suspend data sharing pursuant to paragraphs 10 and 11 may:

13.   The right referred to in paragraph 1 shall not adversely affect the rights of data subjects pursuant to the applicable Union and national law on the protection of personal data.

1.   A contractual term concerning access to and the use of data or liability and remedies for the breach or the termination of data related obligations, which has been unilaterally imposed by an enterprise on another enterprise, shall not be binding on the latter enterprise if it is unfair.

2.   A contractual term which reflects mandatory provisions of Union law, or provisions of Union law which would apply if the contractual terms did not regulate the matter, shall not be considered to be unfair.

3.   A contractual term is unfair if it is of such a nature that its use grossly deviates from good commercial practice in data access and use, contrary to good faith and fair dealing.

4.   In particular, a contractual term shall be unfair for the purposes of paragraph 3, if its object or effect is to:

5.   A contractual term shall be presumed to be unfair for the purposes of paragraph 3 if its object or effect is to:

Point (g) of the first subparagraph shall not affect terms by which the party that unilaterally imposed the term reserves the right to unilaterally change the terms of a contract of an indeterminate duration, provided that the contract specified a valid reason for such unilateral changes, that the party that unilaterally imposed the term is required to provide the other contracting party with reasonable notice of any such intended change, and that the other contracting party is free to terminate the contract at no cost in the case of a change.

6.   A contractual term shall be considered to be unilaterally imposed within the meaning of this Article if it has been supplied by one contracting party and the other contracting party has not been able to influence its content despite an attempt to negotiate it. The contracting party that supplied the contractual term bears the burden of proving that that term has not been unilaterally imposed. The contracting party that supplied the contested contractual term may not argue that the term is an unfair contractual term.

7.   Where the unfair contractual term is severable from the remaining terms of the contract, those remaining terms shall be binding.

8.   This Article does not apply to contractual terms defining the main subject matter of the contract or to the adequacy of the price, as against the data supplied in exchange.

9.   The parties to a contract covered by paragraph 1 shall not exclude the application of this Article, derogate from it, or vary its effects.

1.   A public_sector_body, the Commission, the European Central Bank or a Union body receiving data pursuant to a request made under Article 14 shall:

2.   A public_sector_body, the Commission, the European Central Bank, a Union body or a third party receiving data under this Chapter shall not:

3.   Disclosure of trade_secrets to a public_sector_body, the Commission, the European Central Bank or a Union body shall be required only to the extent that it is strictly necessary to achieve the purpose of a request under Article 15. In such a case, the data holder or, where they are not the same person, the trade_secret holder shall identify the data which are protected as trade_secrets, including in the relevant meta data. The public_sector_body, the Commission, the European Central Bank or the Union body shall, prior to the disclosure of trade_secrets, take all necessary and appropriate technical and organisational measures to preserve the confidentiality of the trade_secrets, including, as appropriate, the use of model contractual terms, technical standards and the application of codes of conduct.

4.   A public_sector_body, the Commission, the European Central Bank or a Union body shall be responsible for the security of the data it receives.

1.   Providers of data processing services that concern scalable and elastic computing resources limited to infrastructural elements such as servers, networks and the virtual resources necessary for operating the infrastructure, but that do not provide access to the operating services, software and applications that are stored, otherwise processed, or deployed on those infrastructural elements, shall, in accordance with Article 27, take all reasonable measures in their power to facilitate that the customer, after switching to a service covering the same_service_type, achieves functional_equivalence in the use of the destination data processing service. The source provider of data processing services shall facilitate the switching process by providing capabilities, adequate information, documentation, technical support and, where appropriate, the necessary tools.

2.   Providers of data processing services, other than those referred to in paragraph 1, shall make open interfaces available to an equal extent to all their customers and the concerned destination providers of data processing services free of charge to facilitate the switching process. Those interfaces shall include sufficient information on the service concerned to enable the development of software to communicate with the services, for the purposes of data portability and interoperability.

3.   For data processing services other than those referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, providers of data processing services shall ensure compatibility with common_specifications based on open interoperability specifications or harmonised_standards for interoperability at least 12 months after the references to those common_specifications or harmonised_standards for interoperability of data processing services were published in the central Union standards repository for the interoperability of data processing services following the publication of the underlying implementing acts in the Official Journal of the European Union in accordance with Article 35(8).

4.   Providers of data processing services other than those referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall update the online register referred to in Article 26, point (b) in accordance with their obligations under paragraph 3 of this Article.

5.   In the case of switching between services of the same_service_type, for which common_specifications or the harmonised_standards for interoperability referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article have not been published in the central Union standards repository for the interoperability of data processing services in accordance with Article 35(8), the provider of data processing services shall, at the request of the customer, export all exportable data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.

6.   Providers of data processing services shall not be required to develop new technologies or services, or disclose or transfer digital_assets that are protected by intellectual property rights or that constitute a trade_secret, to a customer or to a different provider of data processing services or compromise the customer’s or provider’s security and integrity of service.

1.   Providers of data processing services shall take all adequate technical, organisational and legal measures, including contracts, in order to prevent international and third-country governmental access and transfer of non-personal data held in the Union where such transfer or access would create a conflict with Union law or with the national law of the relevant Member State, without prejudice to paragraph 2 or 3.

2.   Any decision or judgment of a third-country court or tribunal and any decision of a third-country administrative authority requiring a provider of data processing services to transfer or give access to non-personal data falling within the scope of this Regulation held in the Union shall be recognised or enforceable in any manner only if based on an international agreement, such as a mutual legal assistance treaty, in force between the requesting third country and the Union, or any such agreement between the requesting third country and a Member State.

3.   In the absence of an international agreement as referred to in paragraph 2, where a provider of data processing services is the addressee of a decision or judgment of a third-country court or tribunal or a decision of a third-country administrative authority to transfer or give access to non-personal data falling within the scope of this Regulation held in the Union and compliance with such a decision would risk putting the addressee in conflict with Union law or with the national law of the relevant Member State, transfer to or access to such data by that third-country authority shall take place only where:

The addressee of the decision or judgment may ask the opinion of the relevant national body or authority competent for international cooperation in legal matters, in order to determine whether the conditions laid down in the first subparagraph are met, in particular when it considers that the decision may relate to trade_secrets and other commercially sensitive data as well as to content protected by intellectual property rights or the transfer may lead to re-identification. The relevant national body or authority may consult the Commission. If the addressee considers that the decision or judgment may impinge on the national security or defence interests of the Union or its Member States, it shall ask the opinion of the relevant national body or authority in order to determine whether the data requested concerns national security or defence interests of the Union or its Member States. If the addressee has not received a reply within one month, or if the opinion of such body or authority concludes that the conditions laid down in the first subparagraph are not met, the addressee may reject the request for transfer or access, to non-personal data, on those grounds.

The EDIB referred to in Article 42 shall advise and assist the Commission in developing guidelines on the assessment of whether the conditions laid down in the first subparagraph of this paragraph are met.

4.   If the conditions laid down in paragraph 2 or 3 are met, the provider of data processing services shall provide the minimum amount of data permissible in response to a request, on the basis of the reasonable interpretation of that request by the provider or relevant national body or authority referred to in paragraph 3, second subparagraph.

5.   The provider of data processing services shall inform the customer about the existence of a request of a third-country authority to access its data before complying with that request, except where the request serves law enforcement purposes and for as long as this is necessary to preserve the effectiveness of the law enforcement activity.

1.   The vendor of an application using smart_contracts or, in the absence thereof, the person whose trade, business or profession involves the deployment of smart_contracts for others in the context of executing an agreement or part of it, to make data available shall ensure that those smart_contracts comply with the following essential requirements of:

2.   The vendor of a smart_contract or, in the absence thereof, the person whose trade, business or profession involves the deployment of smart_contracts for others in the context of executing an agreement or part of it, to make data available shall perform a conformity assessment with a view to fulfilling the essential requirements laid down in paragraph 1 and, on the fulfilment of those requirements, issue an EU declaration of conformity.

3.   By drawing up the EU declaration of conformity, the vendor of an application using smart_contracts or, in the absence thereof, the person whose trade, business or profession involves the deployment of smart_contracts for others in the context of executing an agreement or part of it, to make data available shall be responsible for compliance with the essential requirements laid down in paragraph 1.

4.   A smart_contract that meets the harmonised_standards or the relevant parts thereof, the references of which are published in the Official Journal of the European Union, shall be presumed to be in conformity with the essential requirements laid down in paragraph 1 to the extent that those requirements are covered by such harmonised_standards or parts thereof.

5.   The Commission shall, pursuant to Article 10 of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012, request one or more European standardisation organisations to draft harmonised_standards that satisfy the essential requirements laid down in paragraph 1 of this Article.

6.   The Commission may, by means of implementing acts, adopt common_specifications covering any or all of the essential requirements laid down in paragraph 1 where the following conditions have been fulfilled:

Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 46(2).

7.   Before preparing a draft implementing act referred to in paragraph 6 of this Article, the Commission shall inform the committee referred to in Article 22 of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 that it considers that the conditions in paragraph 6 of this Article have been fulfilled.

8.   When preparing the draft implementing act referred to in paragraph 6, the Commission shall take into account the advice of the EDIB and views of other relevant bodies or expert groups and shall duly consult all relevant stakeholders.

9.   The vendor of a smart_contract or, in the absence thereof, the person whose trade, business or profession involves the deployment of smart_contracts for others in the context of executing an agreement or part of it, to make data available that meet the common_specifications established by implementing acts referred to in paragraph 6 or parts thereof shall be presumed to be in conformity with the essential requirements laid down in paragraph 1 to the extent that those requirements are covered by such common_specifications or parts thereof.

10.   Where a harmonised_standard is adopted by a European standardisation organisation and proposed to the Commission for the purpose of publishing its reference in the Official Journal of the European Union, the Commission shall assess the harmonised_standard in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012. Where the reference of a harmonised_standard is published in the Official Journal of the European Union, the Commission shall repeal the implementing acts referred to in paragraph 6 of this Article, or parts thereof which cover the same essential requirements as those covered by that harmonised_standard.

11.   When a Member State considers that a common specification does not entirely satisfy the essential requirements laid down in paragraph 1, it shall inform the Commission thereof by submitting a detailed explanation. The Commission shall assess that detailed explanation and may, if appropriate, amend the implementing act establishing the common specification in question.