Liechtenstein

Summary

Liechtenstein is an EEA member (not EU) and applies EU law via the EEA Agreement. GDPR applies in full via the national Data Protection Act (DSG, in force 2019). The Database Directive 96/9/EC has been incorporated via the EEA Agreement, giving Liechtenstein a sui generis database right equivalent. Computer access crimes are in StGB §118a (Widerrechtlicher Zugriff auf ein Computersystem), which requires overcoming a security measure as an element; publicly accessible pages without technical barriers carry no criminal exposure. The DSM Copyright Directive 2019/790 was incorporated into the EEA Agreement by JCD of 8 December 2023 (OJ L 2024/1465); Liechtenstein fulfilled its constitutional requirements on 27 May 2024, so the TDM framework (Arts. 3-4, including the machine-readable opt-out for commercial TDM) entered into force for Liechtenstein as of that date. However, the practical domestic effect of the TDM commercial opt-out depends on national implementing amendments to the Urheberrechtsgesetz (UrhG); as of May 2026 no public confirmation of a enacted UrhG amendment has been identified in English-language sources, leaving the opt-out mechanism unsettled in domestic application. The EU AI Act's EEA incorporation process (Art. 53 GPAI opt-out obligation) is pending as of May 2026.