Article 29: Civil liability of companies and the right to full compensation

1. Member States shall ensure that a company can be held liable for damage caused to a natural or legal person, provided that:

(a)

the company intentionally or negligently failed to comply with the obligations laid down in Articles 10 and 11, when the right, prohibition or obligation listed in the Annex to this Directive is aimed at protecting the natural or legal person; and

(b)

as a result of the failure referred to in point (a), damage to the natural or legal person’s legal interests that are protected under national law was caused.

A company cannot be held liable if the damage was caused only by its business partners in its chain of activities.

2. Where a company is held liable in accordance with paragraph 1, a natural or legal person shall have the right to full compensation for the damage, in accordance with national law. Full compensation under this Directive shall not lead to overcompensation, whether by means of punitive, multiple or other types of damages.

3. Member States shall ensure that:

(a)

national rules on the beginning, duration, suspension or interruption of limitation periods do not unduly hamper the bringing of actions for damages and, in any case, are not more restrictive than the rules on national general civil liability regimes;

the limitation period for bringing actions for damages under this Directive shall be at least five years and, in any case, not shorter than the limitation period laid down under national general civil liability regimes;

limitation periods shall not begin to run before the infringement has ceased and the claimant knows, or can reasonably be expected to know:

(i)

of the behaviour and the fact that it constitutes an infringement;