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Res. 00459-2020 Tribunal Contencioso Administrativo · Tribunal Contencioso Administrativo · 08/09/2020
OutcomeResultado
The Administrative Court denied the precautionary measure requested by the National Chamber of the Longline Fishing Industry against INCOPESCA and Global Fishing Watch, as the plaintiff failed to prove the urgency by providing evidence of serious, actual or potential harm that the publication of fishing vessel geolocation data would cause.El Tribunal Contencioso Administrativo denegó la medida cautelar solicitada por la Cámara Nacional de la Industria Palangrera contra INCOPESCA y Global Fishing Watch, al no acreditar la parte actora el peligro en la demora mediante prueba del daño grave, actual o potencial, que le ocasionaría la publicación de datos de geolocalización de embarcaciones pesqueras.
SummaryResumen
The National Chamber of the Longline Fishing Industry requested a pre-trial precautionary measure against INCOPESCA and Global Fishing Watch, seeking to suspend an agreement that allowed sharing of fishing vessel geolocation data for public disclosure. They invoked protection of traditional knowledge, trade secrets, and breach of confidentiality under domestic and international regulations (IATTC, Biodiversity Law). The Administrative Court denied the measure: although it acknowledged an appearance of good right given the existence of a challenged administrative decision, the plaintiff failed to prove urgency—there was no adequate evidence of serious, actual or potential harm from the data disclosure. The Court stressed that harm must be proven, not merely alleged; screenshots of publications did not demonstrate concrete injury. Lacking proof of harm, the public interest in administrative legality prevailed over private interest. No order as to costs.La Cámara Nacional de la Industria Palangrera solicitó medida cautelar ante causam contra el INCOPESCA y Global Fishing Watch, pretendiendo suspender un acuerdo que permitía compartir datos de geolocalización de embarcaciones pesqueras para publicación pública. Alegaban protección del conocimiento tradicional, secretos comerciales y violación de confidencialidad bajo normativa nacional e internacional (CIAT, Ley de Biodiversidad). El Tribunal Contencioso Administrativo denegó la medida, pues aunque reconoció la apariencia de buen derecho por existir una disposición administrativa cuestionable, la parte actora no acreditó el peligro en la demora: no demostró con prueba idónea el daño grave, actual o potencial, que le causaría la divulgación de los datos. El Tribunal enfatizó que no basta alegar daño, sino probarlo; las imágenes de publicaciones no evidenciaban perjuicios concretos. Ante la falta de prueba del daño, el interés público en la legalidad administrativa prevaleció sobre el interés particular. No se impuso condena en costas.
Key excerptExtracto clave
It must be stated that in the legal situation of the applicant, this element is not met. While it could be presumed that the situation might cause some impact in its various forms, this is merely a human presumption. In that regard, it must be said that it is not enough to allege the existence of serious harm or injury, actual or potential, but it must be proven, which is a procedural burden assumed by the interested party to prove its case, Article 41 of the Civil Procedure Code, applicable to this area by referral of Article 220 of the Administrative Contentious Code. [...] the plaintiff has not provided any evidence demonstrating the harm it could or is experiencing from the publication of national fishing vessel geolocation data on public access sites. [...] in the absence of proof in that regard, it cannot be considered that it reaches magnitudes of seriousness, since to be protected through this type of proceeding the harm must not only be present, but its seriousness must also be demonstrated, which is precisely what is not shown by the evidence provided. [...] Finally, regarding the balancing of interests at stake: This Judge considers that, the existence of a serious harm not having been demonstrated, the only possible conclusion is that the private interest must yield to the public interest represented by the need for public entities' and individuals' actions to conform to the legal certainty and legality parameters established by the legal system.Se debe de indicar que en la situación jurídica de la parte promovente, este elemento no se cumple. Si bien podría presumirse que la situación podría causarle alguna afectación en sus diferentes modalidades, esto es simplemente una presunción de ser humano. En ese sentido debe de decirse que no basta con alegar la existencia del daño o perjuicio grave, actual o potencial, sino que debe probarse, lo cual es una carga procesal que le corresponde asumir a la parte interesada en probar su dicho, artículo 41 del Código Procesal Civil, de aplicación a la materia por remisión del 220 del Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo. [...] la parte actora no ha aportado ninguna prueba que evidencie el daño que podría experimentar o estar experimentando por la publicación de los datos de geolocalización de las embarcaciones pesqueras nacionales en los sitios de acceso público. [...] no se considera -a falta de prueba en ese sentido- que el mismo alcance magnitudes de gravedad, que recordando para ser tutelados por medio de este tipo de gestiones; el daño no solo debe de estar presente, sino además debe demostrarse su gravedad, que es precisamente lo que no se evidencia de la prueba que se aporta. [...] Finalmente, acerca de la ponderación de los intereses en juego: Considera este Juzgador, que al no verse demostrado la existencia de un daño grave, no puede más que concluirse que el interés particular debe de ceder ante el interés público que representa la necesidad de que las actuaciones de las entidades públicas y de los particulares se adecuen a los parámetros de seguridad jurídica y de legalidad que dispone el ordenamiento.
Pull quotesCitas destacadas
"No basta con alegar la existencia del daño o perjuicio, sino que debe probarse, lo cual como ya se sabe, es una carga procesal que asume la parte interesada, que no fue debidamente cubierta a cabalidad en el presente caso."
"It is not enough to allege the existence of harm or injury; it must be proven, which, as is known, is a procedural burden assumed by the interested party, which was not fully met in this case."
Considerando VIII
"No basta con alegar la existencia del daño o perjuicio, sino que debe probarse, lo cual como ya se sabe, es una carga procesal que asume la parte interesada, que no fue debidamente cubierta a cabalidad en el presente caso."
Considerando VIII
"La parte actora no ha aportado ninguna prueba que evidencie el daño que podría experimentar o estar experimentando por la publicación de los datos de geolocalización de las embarcaciones pesqueras nacionales en los sitios de acceso público."
"The plaintiff has not provided any evidence demonstrating the harm it could be or is experiencing from the publication of national fishing vessel geolocation data on public access sites."
Considerando VIII
"La parte actora no ha aportado ninguna prueba que evidencie el daño que podría experimentar o estar experimentando por la publicación de los datos de geolocalización de las embarcaciones pesqueras nacionales en los sitios de acceso público."
Considerando VIII
"Al no verse demostrado la existencia de un daño grave, no puede más que concluirse que el interés particular debe de ceder ante el interés público que representa la necesidad de que las actuaciones de las entidades públicas y de los particulares se adecuen a los parámetros de seguridad jurídica y de legalidad."
"The existence of a serious harm not having been demonstrated, the only possible conclusion is that the private interest must yield to the public interest represented by the need for public entities' and individuals' actions to conform to the legal certainty and legality parameters."
Considerando VIII
"Al no verse demostrado la existencia de un daño grave, no puede más que concluirse que el interés particular debe de ceder ante el interés público que representa la necesidad de que las actuaciones de las entidades públicas y de los particulares se adecuen a los parámetros de seguridad jurídica y de legalidad."
Considerando VIII
Full documentDocumento completo
Normative Framework: International Convention for the Strengthening of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission Established by the 1949 Convention between the United States of America and the Republic of Costa Rica ("Antigua Convention") International normative framework Content of Interest:
Type of content: Majority vote Branch of Law: Administrative Litigation Procedural Law Topic: Precautionary measures in the administrative litigation process Subtopics:
Generalities, essential requirements, and structural characteristics.
Denial in case where no evidence is provided demonstrating the damage that could be or is being experienced by the publication of geolocation data of national fishing vessels on public access sites.
Topic: Administrative litigation process Subtopics:
Generalities, essential requirements, and structural characteristics of precautionary measures.
"II) GENERALITIES FOR THE GRANTING OF A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE. As has been developed by the Constitutional Chamber, precautionary justice responds to the need to guarantee the constitutional principle of prompt and complete justice, by preserving the real conditions indispensable for the issuance and execution of the judgment. (Resolution 7190-1994, of 15:24 hours on December 6). In this same sense, Article 19 of the Administrative Litigation Procedure Code establishes that the purpose of imposing a precautionary measure is to protect and guarantee, provisionally, the object of the process and the effectiveness of the judgment. Doctrine has indicated that precautionary justice does not aim to declare a fact or a liability, nor to constitute a legal relationship, nor to execute a mandate and satisfy a right held without dispute, nor to settle a lawsuit, but rather to prevent the damages that the litigation may entail or that may derive from an abnormal situation (Gallegos Fedriani, Pablo. Las medidas cautelares contra la Administración Pública. 2 ed. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Ábaco, 2006). Having clarified the foregoing, the judge, in observance of the provisions of Article 21 of the indicated procedural norm, must determine the appropriateness of a request for a precautionary measure, verifying for this purpose that the claim in the merits proceeding is not reckless or, in a manifest way, lacking in seriousness, which constitutes a preliminary assessment of the merits to determine whether there exists in the case in question what doctrine and jurisprudence have called appearance of good right or fumus boni iuris. The norm under analysis also establishes the appropriateness of the precautionary measure when the execution or continuation of the conduct subjected to process produces serious damages or injuries, current or potential, a situation which has been defined in doctrine as periculum in mora or danger in delay, that is to say, that by virtue of the pathological delay of the judicial process, there exists a current, real, and objective danger that serious harm will be generated to the moving party (Jinesta Lobo, Ernesto. Manual del Proceso Contencioso-Administrativo. 1 ed. San José, Costa Rica, Editorial Jurídica Continental, 2008). Along the same line of thought, Article 22 of the Administrative Litigation Procedure Code establishes the obligation of the judge to carry out, in light of the principle of proportionality, a weighing of the interests at stake, that is, between the circumstance of the individual on one hand, and the public interest and the interests of third parties that may be affected by the adoption of the precautionary measure, on the other. Additionally, and from the same cited Article 22, it is required that the precautionary measure be instrumental and provisional.- III) ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMITTING A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE. In this regard, it has been stated that the fulfillment of precautionary tutelage, as a fundamental right derived from constitutional Article 41, which is the right to obtain prompt and complete justice, the jurisdictional body must assess for its effective materialization, in addition to the fulfillment of the presuppositions known in doctrine as Appearance of Good Right (Fumus Boni Iuris), Danger in Delay (Periculum in Mora), as well as the weighing of interests at stake, which will be detailed below, the verification of the presence or existence of what have been called the structural characteristics of the precautionary measure. The foregoing refers to instrumentality, provisionality, urgency, and summaria cognitio or summary nature of the procedure. Both the indicated presuppositions and the mentioned characteristics must be present for the granting of the measure that has been requested with the purpose of protecting and guaranteeing, provisionally, the object of the process and the effectiveness of the judgment. Regarding the necessary presuppositions for granting the precautionary measure, we find the following: a) Appearance of Good Right: for the appropriateness of the precautionary measure there must be "seriousness in the claim," that is, such a probability of success that the claim is not, at a simple glance, manifestly lacking in seriousness, or, as the case may be, reckless. For the doctrine, it is nothing other than the probable subsequent estimation of the material right of the claimant in the judgment, through the analysis proper to a very summary proceeding that in no way can or should determine a pronouncement on the merits of the matter presented, but rather and instead, only an approximation thereto with the elements present at the time of issuing the ruling that grants or denies the measure; b) Danger in Delay: consists of the objectively founded and reasonable fear that the substantial legal situation alleged will be seriously harmed or injured in a grave and irreparable way, during the time necessary to issue a judgment in the main proceeding. This presupposition requires the presence of two elements: the grave harm or injury and the delay in the merits proceeding, without overlooking, of course, that within this presupposition lies what doctrine has termed the "Bilaterality of Periculum in Mora" or as it is commonly known, the weighing of the interests at stake. The presupposition alludes to the characteristic that the harms reproached must be susceptible to occur -currently or potentially- if the required measure is not adopted. These harms must be established as grave, in addition to being considered as derived from the situation alleged. The injuries claimed must at least be verified through the rational principle of proof, so it is not enough to allege the harm in those terms, but the circumstances must be accredited to be considered a harm and that the same is grave. In this sense, it must be emphasized that it is not enough to allege the existence of harm or injury, grave, current or potential, but it must be proven, which, as referred to above, is a procedural burden that the interested party must assume to prove their assertion, Article 317 of the Civil Procedure Code. Regarding the delay in the merits proceeding: This presupposition refers to the situation generated on the occasion of jurisdictional processes that require, for their development and subsequent conclusion, the realization of a series of acts through which not only due process is guaranteed, but also the issuance of a ruling which, if not able to be carried out promptly, must at least be just. Putting an end to a merits proceeding takes time, and it is precisely here that precautionary tutelage acquires special relevance, because while that decision on the case arrives, grave harms are being avoided, which, if they occurred, would render the right claimed nugatory. With the entry into force of the Administrative Litigation Procedure Code, those processes that took years and even decades were largely resolved; today, despite the efforts made, processes, although lasting less due to the benefits of orality, require completing different stages, scheduling, in contrast with quite saturated dockets, etc., which mean that processes last a reasonable time, but still take time. On the bilaterality of periculum in mora: Under this denomination, it refers to the weighing of the interests at stake, linked to the public interest that may be susceptible to needing protection, versus the interest of third parties and of course the interest of the party resorting to a precautionary measure, the same having to be evaluated comparatively, imposing the denial of the measure when the injury suffered or susceptible to being produced to the community or third parties is greater than that which the applicant for the measure could experience.- IV) STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE: As previously noted, in addition to the presuppositions already indicated, it is necessary that the measure to be adopted structurally possesses the following characteristics: instrumentality, meaning that they have a marked relationship of accessoriness with the final judgment, since, ultimately, they serve as an instrument to maintain the validity of the object of the process in the terms presented; provisionality, which is none other than that what is agreed regarding the precautionary measure will remain in force and conditioned on what is resolved in the merits proceeding. It is worth highlighting that it can also be terminated or modified at any time, given the variability of the conditions that originally gave rise to it, or indeed, adopt the one that was previously rejected, as established in Article 29 of the Administrative Litigation Procedure Code, therefore its efficacy expires at the moment of issuing the judgment on the merits, or what is the same, it has effects subject to the disposition adopted in the main proceeding; urgency to avoid danger in the delay, as well as the summaria cognitio, that this type of measure is adopted by virtue of a very summary cognition carried out by the jurisdictional body without entering into prejudging the merits of the matter, which in no way could substitute the stages of the merits proceeding. Starting from the above normative framework of analysis and the elements required for the granting of a precautionary measure, we proceed to carry out the study of the specific case.
[...]
Finally, regarding the balancing of the interests at stake: This Judge considers that, since the existence of serious harm has not been demonstrated, it can only be concluded that the private interest must yield to the public interest represented by the need for the actions of public entities and private individuals to conform to the parameters of legal certainty and legality established by the legal system; the foregoing, regardless of what is ultimately decided on the merits in the respective proceeding. This Court cannot ignore the powers conferred upon the Costa Rican Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura, INCOPESCA); nor could it ignore that, through a precautionary measure, it would be impossible to analyze whether, in this case, the INCOPESCA Board of Directors Agreement AJDIP/145-2020 of July 10, 2020, and the formalization of the Specific Cooperation Agreement (Convenio Específico de Cooperación, CEC) between INCOPESCA and Global Fishing Watch, have all those drawbacks, not only for the plaintiff represented here but for the country, as these are matters reserved for the merits of the case, and thereby it is determined that, as long as nothing else is ordered in the main proceeding, prudence leans towards not considering the analyzed prerequisite as having been overcome, since in the particular case under study, there is a total lack of necessary, pertinent, and conclusive proof that allows establishing the magnitude of the damage that the National Chamber of the Longline Industry could experience, and even less be currently experiencing, from the implementation and launch of the questioned agreement, and under those circumstances, that damage or affectation cannot be dimensioned in order to weigh which harm and/or situation should be protected, resulting in these conditions undoubtedly that the public interest represented on this occasion by the Costa Rican Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture (INCOPESCA) must prevail over the private one.-\"\n\n... See more\nCitations of Legislation and Doctrine\nText of the resolution\n\n \n\nCONTENTIOUS-ADMINISTRATIVE COURT\n\nCentral 2545-0003. Fax 2545-0033. Email ...01\n\nSecond Judicial Circuit of San José, Annex A (Former Motorola building)\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nCASE FILE: 20-003688-1 027-CA\n\nPROCEEDING: PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE ANTE CAUSAM\n\nPROMOTED BY: NATIONAL CHAMBER OF THE LONGLINE INDUSTRY\n\nDEFENDANT: COSTA RICAN INSTITUTE OF FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE (INCOPESCA)\n\nINTERESTED PARTY: ORGANIZATION GLOBAL FISHING WATCH\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nN°459-2020 \n\n CONTENTIOUS-ADMINISTRATIVE COURT OF THE SECOND JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF SAN JOSÉ - ANNEX A - Goicoechea, at sixteen hours and thirty minutes on the eighth day of September of the year two thousand twenty.-\n\n Petition for a precautionary measure ante causam, filed by the NATIONAL CHAMBER OF THE LONGLINE INDUSTRY against the COSTA RICAN INSTITUTE OF FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE (INCOPESCA) and the organization GLOBAL FISHING WATCH appeared in the proceeding as an interested third party.-\n\nWHEREAS:\n\n 1) By means of the brief filed on the fifth of August of this year, the plaintiff's representation filed a petition for a precautionary measure ante causam, setting forth as its claim what is literally transcribed below and as is relevant: \" (...) 2. That the validity of the Board of Directors Agreement Nombre2819 AJDIP/145-2020 of July 10, 2020, and the formalization of the Specific Cooperation Agreement (CEC) between Nombre2819 and Global Fishing Watch be suspended, until it is determined in this venue whether the Agreement effectively generates a breach of the rules protecting undisclosed information and traditional knowledge, and that the agreement is contrary to the international commitments assumed by Costa Rica within the framework of the IATTC.\". (see precautionary claim filed on 08/05/2020).-\n\n 2) This Court, by means of the resolution issued at seventeen hours and five minutes on the fifth day of August of the year two thousand twenty, denied the requested precautionary measure on a very provisional basis, and granted a hearing to the defendant's representation (see resolution of 08/05/2020).-\n\n 3) By means of the brief filed on the eighteenth of August of this year, the representation of the Costa Rican Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture responded negatively regarding this precautionary measure, and requests that it be declared without merit, considering that it lacks legal and factual basis and because the essential conditions for granting a measure of such nature are not met. It requests that the case file be archived, and that the plaintiff be ordered to pay the procedural and personal costs of this proceeding. It filed the exceptions of lack of active and passive standing and the joinder of Nombre3175 necessary joinder of parties regarding the organization Global Fishing Watch (see brief filed on 08/18/2020).- \n\n 4) By means of the resolution issued at twenty-two hours and forty-seven minutes on the eighteenth of August of two thousand twenty, this Court granted a hearing to the plaintiff regarding a possible joinder of Nombre3175 in relation to the Organization Global Fishing Watch (see resolution of 08/18/2020).-\n\n 5) By means of the brief filed on the twenty-fourth of August of this year, the representation of the National Chamber of the Longline Industry referred to the joinder of Nombre3175 filed negatively and requests, as is relevant, the following: \" (...) . Declare with merit, urgently, the precautionary measure that gives rise to this judicial file. . That in the event the main precautionary measure of the file is not immediately declared with merit, declare the very provisional counter-security, according to which the suspension of the publication of geolocation data of national fishing vessels on public access sites is ordered. Note that due to the very provisional nature of this measure, it is requested while the main precautionary measure that gives rise to this proceeding is resolved. The need to accept this new measure is evident: the data are already being disclosed to the public, with all the implications that this entails. All the prerequisites for the measure are met, as they are the same as the precautionary measure ante causam already requested, with the only difference being that in this case the harm has become current with the publication of the data by GFW to the general public. . Do not accept the exception of Nombre3175 necessary passive joinder.\" (see brief filed on 08/24/2020).- \n\n 6) By means of the brief filed on the twentieth of August of this year, the representation of Global Fishing Watch Inc. appeared in the proceeding as an interested third party and subsidiarily as a coadjuvant in these matters, requesting, as is relevant, the following: \"(...) 2. That the precautionary measure ante causam promoted by the National Chamber of the Longline Industry against the validity of agreement AJDIP/145-2020 of July 10, 2020 be declared without merit. (see brief dated 08/20/2020).-\n\n 7) In this matter, the required formalities have been observed; and no defects or nullities are noted that would prevent issuing the following disposition.-\n\nCONSIDERING:\n\n I) REGARDING THE EXCEPTIONS FILED AND THE APPEARANCE IN THIS PRECAUTIONARY PROCEEDING BY GLOBAL FISHING WATCH INC. The joinder of Nombre3175 in relation to the Organization Global Fishing Watch Inc. was filed by the representation of the Costa Rican Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture (INCOPESCA); as well as the exception of lack of active and passive standing. Now then, we cannot ignore the fact that we are in the presence of a precautionary measure; it being the criterion of this Judge that, in accordance with numerals 66 and 90 of the Contentious-Administrative Procedural Code, certain exceptions exist that are unnecessary to be analyzed beforehand, as their opposition and resolution correspond to other stages of the main proceeding and not to an anticipated precautionary measure; however, the claim of the plaintiff here could potentially involve the party sought to be joined, and hence the need for this Court to grant a hearing to the defendant party and address beforehand the appropriateness or not of this joinder. As is evident, the plaintiff has opposed having the Organization Global Fishing Watch Inc. brought into the proceeding as a defendant; however, this organization has appeared in the proceeding and requested to be considered a party in this matter as a coadjuvant or interested third party. Based on this, this Judge only allows indicating that, under the proposed terms, considering the cited party as a coadjuvant is improper, as that figure does not permit having a direct interest in the outcome of the proceeding, which in this case is more than obvious that this does occur (see in this regard numeral 13 of the Contentious-Administrative Procedural Code). As for considering the representation of the Organization Global Fishing Watch Inc. as an interested party in this matter, this figure can indeed be admitted, not only because of what the representation of the co-defendant Institute timely filed regarding the joinder; but also regarding the request made directly by the Organization Global Fishing Watch Inc. to be considered an interested party in this matter in accordance with numeral 15, subsection 1). b) of the Contentious-Administrative Procedural Code, which not only allows having its own claims, but also gives the party the opportunity to appear in the proceeding either ex officio or at the instance of a party, and it will take on the matter in the state in which it finds itself. That being so, in accordance with numeral 15 of the Contentious-Administrative Procedural Code, let the Organization Global Fishing Watch Inc. be considered an interested third party in this matter, and since it has appeared in the proceeding, in accordance with subsection 2) of the cited numeral, this Judge sees no impossibility in addressing and resolving this pursuit immediately, for the sake of a timely resolution as is required by this type of pursuit. Regarding the lack of active and passive standing, this Court proceeds to reject the analysis of this exception. If the representation of the Costa Rican Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture considers it appropriate to maintain its argument, it must pursue it in the main claim, which the filing party will present in due time if deemed pertinent. The foregoing disposition finds full support in what has already been analyzed by the Second Section of the Contentious-Administrative Court, which has advanced on this issue, considering what is of interest for this disposition the following: \"(...) From a technical point of view, it is not possible to oppose exceptions, as is feasible in plenary proceedings, except, of course, what corresponds to jurisdiction (which must be known beforehand and by special pronouncement as it suspends jurisdiction to continue hearing the case file, except for that request itself), what corresponds to capacity and the formal requirements (the latter would be known when resolving the petition on the merits), or what corresponds to joinder of parties. In those terms, any exception or defense filed has no reason to exist, but if it is filed, it must be reserved to be heard with the merits of the precautionary measure and not in an interlocutory manner. An interlocutory resolution within this type of proceeding is not appropriate, as it would allow converting a summary pursuit into an ordinary proceeding, distorting its essence.(...)\". (the bold and underline are ours). (see resolution N° 314-2020-II COURT OF APPEALS OF CONTENTIOUS-ADMINISTRATIVE AND CIVIL HACIENDA MATTERS OF THE SECOND JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF SAN JOSÉ, SECOND SECTION, at seven hours and thirty minutes on the eleventh of June of two thousand twenty.). Having said the above, the prior analysis of both passive and active Standing filed by the representation of the defendant Institute is rejected.-\n\n II) GENERALITIES FOR THE GRANTING OF A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE. As has been developed by the Constitutional Chamber, precautionary justice responds to the need to guarantee the constitutional principle of swift and fulfilled justice, by preserving the indispensable real conditions for the issuance and execution of the judgment. (Resolution 7190-1994, at 15:24 hours on December 6). In this same sense, Article 19 of the Contentious-Administrative Procedural Code establishes that the purpose of establishing a precautionary measure is to protect and guarantee, provisionally, the object of the proceeding and the effectiveness of the judgment. Doctrine has indicated that precautionary justice does not aim to declare a fact or liability, nor to constitute a legal relationship, nor to execute a mandate and satisfy an unquestioned right, nor to settle a dispute, but rather to prevent the damages that the litigation may bring about or that may derive from an abnormal situation (Gallegos Fedriani, Pablo. Las medidas cautelares contra la Administración Pública. 2 ed. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Ábaco, 2006). Having this clear, the judge, observing the provisions of Article 21 of the indicated procedural rule, must determine the appropriateness of a petition for a precautionary measure, verifying in this regard that the claim in the plenary proceeding is not reckless or, palpably, lacking in seriousness, which constitutes a preliminary assessment of the merits to determine if there exists in the case in question what doctrine and jurisprudence have called appearance of good right or fumus boni iuris. The rule under analysis also establishes the appropriateness of the precautionary measure when the execution or continuance of the conduct under process produces serious damage or harm, current or potential, a situation that has been defined in doctrine as periculum in mora or danger in delay, that is, that by virtue of the pathological delay of the judicial process, a current, real, and objective danger exists that serious damage may be caused to the requesting party (Jinesta Lobo, Ernesto. Manual del Proceso Contencioso-Administrativo. 1 ed. San José, Costa Rica, Editorial Jurídica Continental, 2008). Along the same line of thought, Article 22 of the Contentious-Administrative Procedural Code establishes the judge's obligation to perform, in light of the principle of proportionality, a balancing of the interests at stake, that is, between the circumstance of the individual, on one hand, and the public interest and the interests of third parties that may be affected by the adoption of the precautionary measure, on the other. Additionally, and from the same cited numeral 22, it is required that the precautionary measure be instrumental and provisional.-\n\n III) ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS TO ADMIT A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE. In this regard, it has been said that for the fulfillment of precautionary protection, as a fundamental right derived from constitutional numeral 41 which is the right to obtain swift and fulfilled justice, the jurisdictional body must assess for its effective materialization, in addition to the fulfillment of the prerequisites known in doctrine as Appearance of Good Right (Fumus Boni Iuris), Danger in Delay (Periculum in Mora), as well as the balancing of interests at stake, which will be detailed below, the verification of the presence or existence of what have been termed the structural characteristics of the precautionary measure. The foregoing refers to instrumentality, provisionality, urgency, and summaria cognitio or summary nature of the procedure. Both the indicated prerequisites and the specified characteristics must be present for the granting of the measure that has been requested with the purpose of protecting and guaranteeing, provisionally, the object of the proceeding and the effectiveness of the judgment. Regarding the prerequisites necessary for granting the precautionary measure, we find the following: a) Appearance of Good Right: for the appropriateness of the precautionary measure, there must be \"seriousness in the complaint\", that is, a probability of success such that the complaint is not, at first glance, palpably lacking in seriousness, or if applicable, reckless. For doctrine, it is nothing other than the probable subsequent estimation of the plaintiff's substantive right in the judgment, through the analysis typical of a very summary proceeding which in no way can or should determine a pronouncement on the merits of the matter raised, but instead, only an approximation to it with the elements present at the time of issuing the ruling that grants or denies the measure; b) Danger in Delay: it consists of the objectively founded and reasonable fear that the substantial legal situation alleged could be seriously harmed or damaged in a severe and irreparable manner, during the time necessary to issue judgment in the main proceeding. This prerequisite requires the presence of two elements: the serious damage or harm and the delay in the plenary proceeding, without neglecting, of course, that within this prerequisite lies what doctrine has called the \"Bilateral Nature of Periculum in Mora\" or as commonly known, the balancing of the interests at stake. The prerequisite alludes to the characteristic that the damages reproached must possess, which are susceptible to occurring, -currently or potentially-, if the required measure is not adopted. Damages that must be established as serious, in addition to being considered derived from the situation alleged. The injuries claimed must at least be verified through the rational principle of proof, so it is not enough to allege the damage in the terms stated, but rather the circumstances must be proven for it to be considered a damage and for it to be serious. In that sense, it must be emphasized that it is not sufficient to allege the existence of damage or harm, serious, current or potential, but rather it must be proven, which, as referred to above, is a procedural burden that the interested party must bear to prove its claim, article 317 of the Civil Procedural Code. Regarding the delay in the plenary proceeding: This prerequisite refers to the situation generated by jurisdictional proceedings that require, for their development and subsequent conclusion, the performance of a series of acts through which not only due process is guaranteed, but also the issuance of a ruling that, if it cannot be carried out promptly, at least be just. Concluding a plenary proceeding takes time, and this is precisely where precautionary protection acquires special relevance, because while that decision in the case is pending, serious damages are being avoided, which, if they were to occur, would render the right being claimed nugatory. With the entry into force of the Contentious-Administrative Procedural Code, much progress was made regarding those proceedings that took years and even decades; today, despite the efforts made, even though proceedings last less, due to the benefits of orality, different stages must be completed, scheduling of hearings, in contrast with quite saturated agendas, etc., which mean that proceedings last a reasonable time, but time nonetheless. Regarding the bilateral nature of periculum in mora: Under this denomination, the balancing of interests at stake is alluded to, linked to the public interest that may be susceptible to needing protection, versus the interest of third parties and, of course, the interest of the party resorting to a precautionary measure, these must be assessed comparatively, and the denial of the measure is imposed when the harm suffered or susceptible to being produced to the community or third parties is greater than what the applicant of the measure could experience.- \n\n IV) STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE: As was indicated, in addition to the prerequisites already mentioned, it is necessary that the measure to be adopted structurally possess the following characteristics: instrumentality, which means they have a marked accessory relationship with the final judgment, because ultimately, they serve as an instrument to maintain the validity of the object of the proceeding under the terms proposed; provisionality, which is nothing other than what is agreed regarding the precautionary measure, it will remain in effect and conditioned on what is resolved in the proceeding on the merits. It should be highlighted that it can also be terminated or modified at any time, given the variability of the conditions that originally gave rise to it, or indeed, a measure that had been previously denied can be adopted, as established by numeral 29 of the Contentious-Administrative Procedural Code, so its effectiveness is exhausted at the time the judgment on the merits is issued, or which is the same, its effects are subject to the disposition adopted in the main proceeding; urgency to avoid the danger in delay, as well as summaria cognitio, meaning that this type of measure is adopted by virtue of a very summary cognition carried out by the jurisdictional body without entering into prejudging the merits of the matter, which could in no way substitute the stages of the plenary proceeding. Based on the preceding normative framework of analysis and the elements required for the acceptance of a precautionary measure, we proceed to carry out the study of the specific case.\n\n V) ARGUMENT OF THE PLAINTIFF PARTY: As is relevant for resolving this precautionary measure, the representation of the NATIONAL CHAMBER OF THE LONGLINE INDUSTRY has indicated that this precautionary pursuit is filed against agreement AJDIP/145-2020 of July 10, 2020, of the Board of Directors of INCOPESCA.; claiming that the adopted agreement consists of handing over information that constitutes traditional knowledge of the fishermen to the private foreign organization Global Fishing Watch, contradicting the protection of this information contained in the Biodiversity Law. It reports that as of 2009, Costa Rica is a member of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) due to the adoption of Law 8712. Convention for the Strengthening of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission established by the 1949 Convention between the United States of America and the Republic of Costa Rica (\"Antigua Convention\"). Thus, the country is a member of said Commission and is obliged to comply with the resolutions issued by it. That within the framework of the IATTC, there are resolutions that regulate the issue of access to data generated by fishing vessels, which are classified by this body as confidential. Because of this, the IATTC member countries have committed to respect the guidelines defined by the Commission regarding how access to this information can be granted. It adds that on this topic, Resolution C-15-07 of July 2015, entitled Standards and Procedures Relating to Data Confidentiality, is currently in force. It cites that in said resolution, the IATTC recognizes \"the need for confidentiality at the commercial and organizational level of the data submitted to the IATTC\". For this reason, it establishes, among other aspects, that data on vessel location must be provided based on quadrants, not the exact position, and establishes a formal procedure for requesting this data. That at the national level, the legal system requires commercial medium-scale and commercial advanced-scale fishing vessels to carry satellite tracking devices and send their location data to INCOPESCA. That such duties are regulated in Executive Decree No. 38681-MAG-MINAE of October 9, 2014, and the recently approved Regulation for the monitoring, control, and surveillance of fishing vessels of the national and foreign fleets (AJDIP/077-2020). It affirms that this latter regulation recognizes the confidential nature of this information, providing aspects such as that \"The information collected through the location, monitoring, and control system for each vessel is for the exclusive use of INCOPESCA\" (Art. 6) or that \"For the purposes of third parties, Nombre2819 will determine the confidentiality of the information in accordance with current regulations\" (Art. 27). It reports that the confidential nature of the information can also be found explicitly within the contracts between the note monitoring service provider (the company CLS) and the fishermen who acquire the satellite beacons from them. It adds that on this matter, the contracts textually state: \"13. CONFIDENTIALITY Neither Party shall disclose to third parties, and shall use its best efforts to ensure that its directors, officers, employees, contractors and suppliers keep secret all proprietary information disclosed by the other Party including, without limitation, documents marked as confidential, technical information, documentation, software, processes, know-how and other unpublished information, except as authorized in writing by the disclosing party. CNIP shall not make copies of the documentation without the prior written authorization of CLS.\". It adds that through Board of Directors Agreement AJDIP/145-2020 of July 10, 2020, Nombre2819 approved a Specific Cooperation Agreement (CEC) with the Non-Governmental Organization Global Fishing Watch Inc, called Specific Cooperation Agreement Between the Costa Rican Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture - Nombre2819 - and Global Fishing Watch, Inc., on the Data Exchange Platform of the Vessel Monitoring System. The content of the CEC is for Nombre2819 to provide the foreign NGO with all the information on national vessels that operate in national waters, and this organization will publicly make all this information available. They report that the CEC contains a clause stating that the data on the sites where the vessels fish will be released to the public. They consider that this publicly reveals information that is of commercial interest to the fishermen and that they have obtained through traditional knowledge. They assert that in the case of purse-seine vessels, this contradicts the legal framework established by the IATTC; whereby they consider that the CEC breaches current regulations and contains defects related to fundamental rights. Regarding the Appearance of Good Right, they find it important to point out that the fishermen's information is part of their traditional knowledge, generated from their productive activity, their life experience, and their intimate relationship with the sea. They note that in Costa Rica, traditional knowledge is protected by the Biodiversity Law, as well as by international instruments that regulate the matter. The Biodiversity Law recognizes the existence of traditional knowledge, innovation, and practice and also assigns value to them insofar as they are associated with natural resources. It cites Article 77, and transcribes the following: \"The State recognizes the existence and validity of forms of knowledge and innovation and the need to protect them, through the use of the appropriate legal mechanisms for each specific case\". It considers that this aspect must be analyzed jointly with what is established in numeral 78, transcribing the following: \"The State shall grant the protection indicated in the previous article, among other forms, through patents, trade secrets, plant breeders' rights, sui generis community intellectual rights, copyright, farmers' rights.\". It develops what, in its opinion, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) states, which contemplates the protection of traditional knowledge created, among other groups, by farmers and sectors of the population dedicated to food production or extraction. They transcribe Article 9) and cite that although that article develops the topic of traditional knowledge in the section on farmers' rights, they consider that it must be understood broadly and not restrictively, as it includes those practices related to the conservation of food biodiversity, not limited only to agriculture. With the foregoing, they affirm that it can be stated that the knowledge generated by fishermen is protected from the point of view of national and international law. They emphasize that this can indeed be considered traditional knowledge, in the understanding that it is the result of the empirical experience of the activity, which is built over time through fishing practice and constitutes a valuable source of information for fisheries management, not only for fishermen, but also for the State. They consider that in this way, according to the applicable legal framework, the secret and confidential nature of this information must be safeguarded, so the existence of the appearance of good right in this case is evident to them.
Furthermore, they consider that unrestricted public access to the geolocation of vessels endangers the trade secrets underlying the fishing activity. This is because each captain knows fishing locations, when the fishing is good at those sites, and under which modalities the activity works best. This information is confidential, in the understanding that this information is generated from experience, and each fisher safeguards it because it is part of their know-how of the fishing activity. Contrary to what is stated in the legal opinion of Mr. Del Valle, this information can indeed be considered under the category of undisclosed information, as provided for in Law No. 7975, the Undisclosed Information Law, and its Regulation. It is the petitioner's consideration that if the article is analyzed part by part, it can be determined that the knowledge held by the fishers can be included in this category, since all the elements indicated in the article are met. The fishers keep their preferred fishing sites secret, so that the site is not known by others and no greater fishing effort is exerted in the area. They emphasize that the fishers have this information thanks to their own fishing activity and the experience they develop over time. In other words, it is the fruit of the effort made by each fisher, who has discovered which areas are good for fishing, within the vast space of possibilities authorized by fishing legislation and the limitations of their license. Finally, the purpose of this knowledge is to make lucrative fishing trips, where a good quantity of fishing product is caught, in accordance with the limitations imposed by the authority. Just as happens in other branches of commerce and industry, this information is kept so that others do not take advantage of it, because that would negatively affect the person who holds the information. That the information on geolocation will be provided by INCOPESCA to the NGO, which in turn will make this data public for the general public, although not in real time and protecting the identity of each vessel. However, in the case of purse-seine vessels, there are norms of international rank (IATTC resolutions) that do not permit this procedure to be applied. This is the case of Resolution C-15-07 of July 2015, in which the IATTC regulated the Standards and Procedures Relating to Data Confidentiality, which includes the positioning of vessels. That in said resolution, the IATTC recognizes "the need for confidentiality at the commercial and organizational level of the data provided to the IATTC". For this reason, it establishes in Article 1 that location data must be provided based on quadrants and not the exact position. They consider that this standard not only recognizes the importance of protecting the identity of the vessels and the people on board, but also the exact position, due to the clear commercial element alluded to above. Likewise, the disclosure of data with more detail requires an administrative process and must be governed by the standards and procedures established by the resolution. It is clear to the petitioners that throughout the regulations, the request to the IATTC to obtain this more detailed data must be justified and approved by the IATTC bodies, and that several requirements must be met in order to have access to said information. They point out that this IATTC resolution is mandatory for Costa Rica; thereby considering that it is completely misguided and legally unfeasible to approve an agreement with an NGO that completely ignores the established procedure for accessing this data. It is affirmed that the fact that INCOPESCA transmits exact data on the geolocation of vessels to Global Fishing Watch, and that this NGO then makes this information public knowledge, results in a flagrant violation of international law and of the commitments and duties assumed by Costa Rica within the framework of the IATTC. They conclude by stating that it can be noted there are strong arguments in favor of the precautionary measure, such as the need to protect the traditional knowledge of the fishers, the violation by the agreement of the protection of confidential and undisclosed information of commercial interest for this productive sector, and the need to ensure that Costa Rica complies with its international duties and commitments. Regarding the Danger in Delay, they consider that there is indeed an imminent danger in the implementation of the referenced agreement, since the publication of the data in question to the general public would place Costa Rica in a situation of non-compliance with international agreements (specifically within the legal framework governing the IATTC and its resolutions). They assert that all of the foregoing implies that the claim is not reckless or lacking in seriousness, as it conforms to the applicable national and international legal order. They report that what is sought is to make effective the existing legal protection regarding environmental protection (through the protection of traditional knowledge), undisclosed information of commercial interest, and the confidentiality established within the framework of the IATTC, the national regulations on satellite tracking, and the contracts with the company providing the satellite tracking service. Regarding the Balancing of the Interests at Stake, they cite that in this case, an attempt has been made to oppose the guarantee of confidentiality with environmental protection, which is nothing more than a false dilemma. Indeed, the current regulations establish the obligation for fishing vessels to carry a satellite beacon, so that INCOPESCA can monitor compliance with the fishing regulations. It is considered by the party resorting to this channel that the fact that the vessels have this device installed and active is what empowers INCOPESCA to carry out its control and surveillance activities. This institute is the only entity competent and empowered by current legislation to demand this information from the fishers. They consider that there is no norm, legal principle, or legal mandate of any kind in our legal order that implies that the data sent to INCOPESCA must be released to the public for the respective control and surveillance tasks to be carried out, since this competence is concentrated in said institute. The opposition between confidentiality and the right to a healthy and balanced environment is therefore completely apparent: the fishers send to INCOPESCA the undisclosed information that corresponds to their traditional knowledge so that this institute can carry out its functions associated with the protection of natural resources, but it must, in turn, manage this data with confidentiality. Neither the fact that it is undisclosed data nullifies the fishers' duty to transmit their location to INCOPESCA, nor does its receipt empower INCOPESCA to treat it as public data. They emphasize that the fact that the information must be communicated to the authority in order for environmental protection to exist does not in any way nullify the administration's duty of confidentiality. On the contrary, the management of information by the institutions requires that information protection measures be taken so as not to reveal this knowledge of value to the persons who are its holders. They assert that it has nowhere been established or demonstrated that the release of this fishers' information to the public constitutes a necessity of public interest, and therefore this aspect cannot be appealed to in order to annul the protection of confidentiality; furthermore, the Biodiversity Law considers the protection of traditional knowledge as part of environmental protection. It is important for them to mention that Article 27 of the Regulation for the monitoring, control, and surveillance of national and foreign fishing vessels (AJDIP/077-2020) states that: "The information recorded in the CSC will be safeguarded by INCOPESCA and will be shared in a restricted manner with the competent administrative or judicial authorities for the surveillance and control of fishing activities. For the purposes of third parties, INCOPESCA will determine the confidentiality of the information in accordance with current regulations." They consider that in this way, it is evident that the degree of confidentiality is not an element left to the free will of INCOPESCA, but rather the institution can determine this factor in accordance with current regulations. That this power cannot be dissociated from the protection of traditional knowledge provided for in the Biodiversity Law and of undisclosed information. For these reasons, it is clear to them that the publication of the fishers' information generates no benefit or detriment to the public interest of protecting the environment, but they assert that its publication is indeed Harmful for the fishers, insofar as the guarantee of confidentiality established in the legal order is violated. Added to this is the fact that, for the reasons alluded to above, giving the green light to the agreement implies a breach of the international commitments assumed by the country within the framework of the IATTC, which contravenes the public interest. As part of their evidentiary material, they provide the following: " (...) • Official Letter AL 113-07-2020 (3) of July 9, 2020 (also contains the agreement). • Contracts between CLS and the fishers.".
We proceed to carry out the corresponding study of the elements required for the granting or denial of the precautionary measure that concerns us today, in accordance with Articles 21 and 22 of the Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo, taking into consideration not only the arguments of the parties but also the pertinence of the evidentiary elements brought to the process, a situation that concerns solely and exclusively the party interested in proving its claim, in accordance with the provisions of Article 41 of the Código Procesal Civil, by remission of Article 220 of the Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo. We now proceed to address the elements for the granting of this request: Appearance of good right (Apariencia de buen derecho). As indicated at the beginning of Considerando V) of this resolution, the claimant representation has stated that this precautionary proceeding is filed against agreement AJDIP/145-2020 of July 10, 2020, of the Board of Directors of INCOPESCA, asserting that it consists of the delivery of information constituting traditional knowledge of the fishers to the private foreign organization Global Fishing Watch, which, in their opinion, contradicts the protection of this information contained in the Ley de Biodiversidad. It is the opinion of the claimant that the CEC contains a clause indicating that data on the sites where vessels operate will be released to the public. They assert that this publicly reveals information that is of commercial interest to fishers and that they have obtained through traditional knowledge. In the case of purse-seine vessels, this contradicts the legal framework established by CIAT. They emphasize that the knowledge generated by fishers is protected under both national and international law, considering that unrestricted public access to the geolocation of vessels endangers the trade secrets underlying fishing activity. For these reasons, they assert that the CEC fails to comply with current regulations and contains defects related to fundamental rights, and hence they appear before this court to request, as a precautionary measure, the suspension of the cited agreement while the main proceeding is resolved in this jurisdictional venue. For this Court, based solely on the evidence provided, it is considered prudent to deem this element satisfied, for the simple reason that there is an administrative provision which, in the consideration of those bringing the action, causes them harm and damages; these cannot be determined through a precautionary measure, if granted, but rather through the main proceeding. Likewise, it would entail ruling on the merits by issuing an opinion as to whether the CEC actually fails to comply with current regulations and contains defects related to fundamental rights. For this Court, the opposition expressed by both the defendant and the interested party in the process, who defend the challenged Agreement, will also be subject to analysis in the main proceeding, as this Court cannot preliminarily lean in support of either of these positions, as this would be anticipating what must necessarily be resolved in the main proceeding. Regarding Instrumentality (Instrumentalidad), with respect to what is requested through this precautionary proceeding relative to the eventual merits proceeding. It is noted that both the defendant and the interested party agree that granting the precautionary measure in the proposed terms would be resolving the entirety of the litigation on the merits, without even debating the granting or denial of what is claimed. For this Court, the positions of the cited parties are respectable, and this Court agrees, only in this case, solely regarding the need to analyze the illegality of what is challenged on the merits; since that legality can only be analyzed and determined in the main proceeding and not before, which necessarily and logically means that the necessary appearance of good right exists in this case, at least to be able to hear whether what is claimed should be granted or denied, which could well be analyzed in the respective merits proceeding and determine which of the positions is correct. This determination is reached for the simple reason that we cannot ignore that the competence of this jurisdiction, derived both from the provisions of Article 49 of the Constitution and from the provisions of the Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo, enables exercising full control over the legality of administrative actions, which implies declaring the legal non-conformity of those formal or material conducts that prove contrary to the principle of legality. The appearance of good right itself is a probability judgment made by the Judge regarding the eventual outcome of the process, which, when facing a precautionary measure, and even more so one like the present which is ante causam, it is premature to determine whether it should be granted or denied, as the arguments and evidence that will support the merits proceeding could be different from those occupying us today. At this procedural stage, the undersigned could not venture to cast doubt on this requirement, in application of the constitutional principle guaranteeing that any person who feels affected by an administrative action may seek redress in this Jurisdiction, with access to Justice also recognized as a fundamental right (Articles 41 and 49 of the Constitución Política). Thus, at least prima facie and without prejudging the matter, and without even determining the probabilities of success of the lawsuit, the truth is that it could well be analyzed in the main proceeding, should the claimant representation decide to file it. In those terms, the analyzed requirement is deemed satisfied. Regarding danger in delay (peligro en la demora): It must be indicated that, in the legal situation of the petitioning party, this element is not met. While it could be presumed that the situation might cause them some harm in its different modalities, this is simply a human presumption. In that sense, it must be said that it is not enough to allege the existence of serious harm or injury, current or potential, but rather it must be proven, which is a procedural burden that the interested party must assume to prove its claim, Article 41 of the Código Procesal Civil, applicable to this matter by remission of Article 220 of the Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo. In this matter, the claimant provides the following evidence: "(...) • Official Letter AL 113-07-2020 (3) of July 9, 2020 (also contains the agreement). • Contracts between CLS and the fishers. (see original precautionary brief filed on 08/05/2020). Through their brief filed on August twenty-fourth of the current year, the claimant, among other statements, reports and provides evidence related to the public GFW platform, where it can be noted that data from vessels operating in Costa Rican waters are already being displayed to the general public; therefore, they find it necessary to grant this new precautionary measure, due to the implications this entails. (see brief and images provided on 08/24/2020). However, it cannot be overlooked that it is precisely the evidence provided to this type of proceeding that allows the Court to establish whether harm effectively exists, and if so, the magnitude thereof. If we compare the evidence provided versus the harm claimed, the evidence in no way assists in establishing harm, if it actually exists, or has been caused, much less does it establish the possibility of verifying its magnitude. This Court could presume that harm exists, but determining the magnitude thereof is a totally different situation, as not just any harm can be protected through this type of proceeding. It is noteworthy that the claimant has not provided any evidence demonstrating the harm they could experience or be experiencing from the publication of geolocation data of national fishing vessels on public access sites. As indicated, the evidence provided with the main precautionary measure brief (filed on 08/05/2020) did not allow the harm to be known, much less its severity, from the very day it was known, and hence it was determined to deny the provisionalísima precautionary measure, when issuing the resolution at seventeen hours five minutes on August fifth, two thousand twenty. If we refer to the original precautionary proceeding, it sought precautionary protection to suspend agreement AJDIP/145-2020 of July 10, 2020, of the Board of Directors of INCOPESCA, in order to prevent the publication on public access sites of information of interest to those using this avenue. As there was no evidence demonstrating the harm, the provisionalísima precautionary proceeding was denied on the very day of its filing, which resulted in the fact that, as of today, that information has already appeared on public access sites; whereby the claimant asserts that the harms are no longer merely potential but have now become actual. Now, if we refer to the evidence they provided to support the harm, we see that it is directed at informing or evidencing that data or information that, in their opinion, harms the interests of the fishers now effectively appears, and therefore, regarding those publications, the harm has gone from being potential to being actual, with the incorporation of the data onto the GFW platform. Based on that, and in the absence of evidence demonstrating it, this is where the Court asks, what has happened since that data was published or incorporated onto the GFW platform? How have those harms and injuries to the fishers been reflected? Has their fishing activity been disabled or diminished; if so, to what extent? What repercussions has that data disclosure caused them in their current fishing reality? It is spoken of harms that are no longer even potential, but actual, yet the necessary proof to support them is not provided. Images of the publications are provided, which in their opinion cause them harm and injury (a merits issue), but they have neglected the detailed information regarding the harm they are experiencing as a result of those publications. While this Court could understand that the revelation of certain information to the general public might cause some inconveniences to the claimant representation, and that this could cause harm, it is not considered—in the absence of evidence in that regard—that it reaches magnitudes of severity, recalling that to be protected through this type of proceeding, the harm must not only be present but its severity must also be demonstrated, which is precisely what the provided evidence does not show. To exemplify the foregoing, from the outset urgency was claimed to prevent the publication of certain information that, in the consideration of the petitioner, would cause them serious harm and injury; but it must be understood that that harm, or the harms claimed, must be proven, as it is necessary for the party using this avenue to demonstrate them, who is in fact the one obligated to prove the harm, and in this case, it is completely unknown what harm they have experienced from the information published on public sites; how the disclosure of this data has influenced their activities, that is precisely what is unknown to this day. It is emphasized, and it is extremely important to understand, that this Court does not know the Chamber represented here, so the harm claimed from the disclosure of data and information could not be evidenced and presumed based solely on the party's word, as there is no proof of the repercussions that have been generated and are being experienced by the fishers due to those data publications, which extinguishes not only the harm but also its magnitude. A series of narrations, statements, and arguments have been detected here that have not been supported with the necessary evidentiary material; while it is possible to narrate and/or argue, that argument must be accompanied by the necessary proof for such purpose, in order to give credibility to what is stated, because if this is not the case, we are facing subjective assessments and, as such, not subject to being protected through this type of process. If the party does not provide the necessary evidence to support its claim (Article 41 of the Código Procesal Civil), this Court could only presume that harm is effectively caused; however, it is clarified that this Court has not been created to presume legal situations of the parties appearing before it, but to resolve according to law, which obviously would not allow anything in favor of someone to the detriment of another, without due demonstration of what is requested, as falling into that constitutes a procedural imbalance benefiting someone who should have demonstrated what they sought to obtain from the opposing party. The claimant must consider that when resorting to this type of proceeding, what is protected is the eventual harm they might experience, both due to the delay in finding a response in the merits process, and also due to the pressing situation they may be experiencing or might experience if the proceeding is not granted, without being able to ignore that the harm intended to be prevented through this type of process is that which reaches magnitudes of severity, and that severity can only be evidenced with the necessary, pertinent, and conclusive proof for such purpose, and hence precautionary protection displaces the execution of actions, in order to guarantee that the harm does not occur, or ceases to occur. It must not be lost sight of that this harm cannot be unreal, hypothetical, or abstract, such that if the type of harm that could be caused by the execution of an administrative action is not clearly evident, at least it must be shown that this harm will cause a serious impact, which even if a favorable judgment is obtained on the merits, it would no longer have the effect of restoring things to the desired state. It is insisted, it is not enough to allege the existence of harm or injury, but rather it must be proven, which, as is already known, is a procedural burden assumed by the interested party, which was not fully and properly covered in the present case, since if one wished to demonstrate the harm, the necessary and pertinent evidence in support thereof should have been provided. While it may be repetitive, it cannot be overlooked that anyone resorting to this type of proceeding must consider that the evidence provided to the process and identified above will be very useful for analysis in the merits proceeding—in the event the claimant decides to file it—but it is not useful for demonstrating the harm, which is precisely what should have been proven in the record. Another situation that draws the attention of this Court is that this precautionary proceeding was filed on August fifth of the current year, was attended to and denied as provisionalísima upon issuing the resolution at seventeen hours five minutes on August fifth, two thousand twenty, which, recalling, was titled by the claimant as "URGENT"; however, having been denied as provisionalísima, a situation different from the "Urgency" claimed from the very day of its filing is evident, in that the representation of the Cámara Nacional de la Industria Palangrera has not had a precautionary measure suspending the execution of the administrative action it challenges, and from that day to today, when its particular situation is being examined on the merits, more than a month has passed, and it has provided nothing, no evidence that would make this Court consider or rather reconsider that it was right in its proceeding, and cause it to vary, now on the merits, the denial decision previously made, in accordance with the provisions of numeral 29 subsection 2) of the Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo. A situation that demonstrates that the claimant's situation was not and has not been as pressing or urgent as was claimed. Recalling that the urgency stemmed from the possible adverse repercussions the claimant might experience from the publication of the data it is interested in protecting. However, it is the claimant representation itself that has reported that, as of today, publications of the data from vessels operating in Costa Rican waters already exist, having been displayed to the general public (this is demonstrated with the images provided with their brief filed on 08/24/2020). Now, this Court does not know, in the absence of proof demonstrating it: what harm has these publications caused to the fishers? Has their activity been diminished? How have the fishers been harmed by the publication? What is the severity of the harm they now indicate has become actual? These are some questions for which there is no answer, as to this day, the harmful consequences that the disclosure of the data of interest to them has caused to the petitioning party are completely unknown. For this Court, it cannot be overlooked that what has caused the failure to deem the analyzed requirement satisfied lies precisely in the lack of demonstration of harm, which could not be granted solely on the party's word; rather, it had to be proven with the necessary, pertinent, and conclusive proof for that purpose, which is precisely what did not occur in the present case, and hence the analyzed element cannot be deemed satisfied, resulting in the need to deny the precautionary measure, since for its pertinence all required requirements must be present, and lacking one, the consequence is its denial, as is hereby ordered. Finally, regarding the balancing of interests at stake (ponderación de los intereses en juego): This Judge considers that, as the existence of serious harm has not been demonstrated, one can only conclude that the private interest must yield to the public interest represented by the need for the actions of public entities and private individuals to conform to the parameters of legal certainty and legality established by the legal system; the foregoing, regardless of what may be resolved on the merits in the respective process. This Court cannot disregard the powers conferred on the Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura (INCOPESCA); nor could it ignore that, through a precautionary proceeding, it would be impossible to analyze whether in this case the Board of Directors Agreement No. 2819 AJDIP/145-2020 of July 10, 2020, and the formalization of the Convenio Específico de Cooperación (CEC) between No. 2819 and Global Fishing Watch, has all those drawbacks, not only for the claimant represented here but for the country, as these are matters reserved for the merits of the case, and thereby it is determined that until otherwise provided in the merits proceeding, prudence dictates not deeming the analyzed requirement satisfied, since in the particular case under study, there is a total lack of necessary, pertinent, and conclusive evidence that allows establishing the magnitude of the harm that the Cámara Nacional de la Industria Palangrera could experience, much less be experiencing, due to the implementation and start-up of the challenged agreement, and under those circumstances, such harm or impact cannot be dimensioned so as to weigh which harm and/or situation must be protected, resulting under these conditions unquestionably that the public interest represented on this occasion by the Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura (INCOPESCA) must prevail over the private interest.- IX) COSTS (COSTAS): The representation of the Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura (INCOPESCA) requested that costs be imposed on the claimant. However, in the consideration of this Judge, the manner in which the events occurred in the administrative venue gave the petitioning party the opportunity to come to this jurisdictional venue, in order to defend their rights and interests. Note that through a precautionary proceeding, it is not possible to analyze the merits of the matter, and therefore, whether the petitioning party is right or wrong in its claims is something that can only be determined in the main proceeding, should the representation of the Chamber represented here decide to file it. However, despite this, it cannot be lost sight of that the reason for denying this precautionary proceeding stemmed from a different situation, which is the verification of the harm they might experience and be experiencing if their claim was not granted; but within the review and analysis of the precautionary requirements, it was determined that they had the necessary appearance to resort to this avenue, in protection of their interests and rights, and hence the requirement of Appearance of Good Right was deemed satisfied, which determines that their claim—at least at this procedural stage—is neither reckless nor lacking in seriousness, and in that case, they had sufficient grounds to appear before this court. In addition, regarding the matter of costs in this type of proceeding, there are several pronouncements from the Tribunal de Apelaciones de lo Contencioso Administrativo, and until a different direction is taken, this Court considers that the above pronouncement must be issued without an award of costs, precisely due to the type of process. (see among others RESOLUCIÓN 009-TA-11, 010-TA-11. SENTENCIA Nº 90 -2011 bis TRIBUNAL DE APELACIONES DE LO CONTENCIOSO ADMINISTRATIVO Y CIVIL DE HACIENDA. Anexo A of the Segundo Circuito Judicial de San José, Dirección01 , at thirteen hours thirty minutes on March sixteenth, two thousand eleven). That being so, this matter is resolved without a special award of costs.- X) RESOLUTION OF THE CASE: Therefore, as the necessary legal requirements are not fully met, the requested precautionary measure must be declared without merit in the terms it was proposed. One must take into consideration that both the requirement of appearance of good right and the balancing of interests at stake are subject to analysis, verification, and study by the Judge to confirm their fulfillment and determine whether the lawsuit can or cannot be heard in a merits proceeding before this Jurisdiction (appearance of good right), and whether the determination made affects or does not affect the public interest or that of interested third parties (balancing of interests at stake); but one of the requirements or prerequisites for granting the precautionary measure lies in the hands of the person resorting to this type of process (DANGER IN DELAY), since the demonstration of harm is inherent to the person suffering it, and it is that person who must prove their claim with pertinent and admissible evidence for such purpose (Article 41 of the Código Procesal Civil), and this is precisely the requirement that was not supported and substantiated as was the duty and obligation of the claimant, this Court having no reason to remedy the omissions noted in the corresponding section. As a logical consequence of this provision, the precautionary measure brought by the CÁMARA NACIONAL DE LA INDUSTRIA PALANGRERA against the INSTITUTO COSTARRICENSE DE PESCA Y ACUICULTURA (INCOPESCA) and the interested third party ORGANIZACIÓN GLOBAL FISHING WATCH is denied. This matter is decided without a special award of costs. In due course, file the case record.-
POR TANTO
In accordance with the foregoing, the anticipated precautionary measure requested by the CÁMARA NACIONAL DE LA INDUSTRIA PALANGRERA against the INSTITUTO COSTARRICENSE DE PESCA Y ACUICULTURA (INCOPESCA) and the interested third party ORGANIZACIÓN GLOBAL FISHING WATCH is declared without merit. This matter is decided without a special award of costs. In due course, file the case record. NOTIFÍQUESE. Lic. Rodrigo Huertas Durán. Judge.- *RRKTLDMOQP461* RODRIGO HUERTAS DURÁN - JUEZ/A DECISOR/A Clasificación elaborada por CENTRO DE INFORMACIÓN JURISPRUDENCIALdel Poder Judicial. Prohibida su reproducción y/o distribución en forma onerosa.
Tribunal Contencioso Administrativo Clase de asunto: Medida cautelar ante causam Analizado por: CENTRO DE INFORMACIÓN JURISPRUDENCIAL Normativa Internacional: Convención para el Fortalecimiento de la Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical establecida por la Convención de 1949 entre los Estados de América y la República de Costa Rica ("Convención de Antigua") Normativa internacional Contenido de Interés:
Tipo de contenido: Voto de mayoría Rama del Derecho: Derecho Procesal Contencioso Administrativo Tema: Medidas cautelares en el proceso contencioso administrativo Subtemas:
Generalidades, requisitos esenciales y características estructurales. Denegatoria en caso donde no se aporta prueba que evidencie el daño que podría experimentar o estar experimentando la publicación de los datos de geolocalización de las embarcaciones pesqueras nacionales en los sitios de acceso público.
Tema: Proceso contencioso administrativo Subtemas:
Generalidades, requisitos esenciales y características estructurales de las medidas cautelares.
"II) GENERALIDADES PARA EL OTORGAMIENTO DE UNA MEDIDA CAUTELAR.Tal y como ha sido desarrollado por la Sala Constitucional, la justicia cautelar responde a la necesidad de garantizar el principio constitucional de una justicia pronta y cumplida, al conservar las condiciones reales indispensables para la emisión y ejecución de la sentencia. (Resolución 7190-1994, de las 15:24 horas del 6 de diciembre). En este mismo sentido, el artículo 19 del Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo, establece que el fin de la fijación de una medida cautelar es proteger y garantizar, provisionalmente el objeto del proceso y la efectividad de la sentencia. La doctrina ha indicado que la justicia cautelar no tiene como fin declarar un hecho o una responsabilidad, ni la de constituir una relación jurídica, ni ejecutar un mandato y satisfacer el derecho que se tiene sin ser discutido, ni dirimir un litigio, sino prevenir los daños que el litigio pueda acarrear o que puedan derivarse de una situación anormal (Gallegos Fedriani, Pablo. Las medidas cautelares contra la Administración Pública. 2 ed. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Ábaco, 2006). Teniendo claro lo anterior, el juzgador con observancia de lo dispuesto en el artículo 21 de la norma procesal indicada, debe determinar la procedencia de una solicitud de medida cautelar, verificando al efecto que la pretensión del proceso de conocimiento no sea temeraria o, en forma palmaria, carente de seriedad, lo que constituye una valoración preliminar del fondo para determinar si existe en el caso en cuestión lo que la doctrina y la jurisprudencia han llamado apariencia de buen derecho o fumus boni iuris. La norma de análisis también establece la procedencia de la medida cautelar cuando la ejecución o permanencia de la conducta sometida a proceso produzca graves daños o perjuicios, actuales o potenciales, situación que ha sido definida en la doctrina como el periculum en mora o peligro en la demora, es decir, que en virtud de la demora patológica del proceso judicial, concurra un peligro actual, real y objetivo de que se genere a la parte promovente un daño grave (Jinesta Lobo, Ernesto. Manual del Proceso Contencioso-Administrativo. 1 ed. San José, Costa Rica, Editorial Jurídica Continental, 2008). Bajo la misma línea de pensamiento, el artículo 22 del Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo, establece la obligación del juzgador de realizar, a la luz del principio de proporcionalidad, una ponderación de los intereses en juego, es decir, entre la circunstancia del particular, por un lado y el interés público y los intereses de terceros que puedan verse afectados con la adopción de la medida cautelar, por el otro. Adicionalmente y del mismo numeral 22 citado, se exige que la medida cautelar resulte instrumental y provisional.- III) REQUISITOS ESENCIALES PARA ADMITIR UNA MEDIDA CAUTELAR. Al respecto se ha dicho que el cumplimiento de la tutela cautelar, como derecho fundamental derivado del numeral 41 constitucional que es el derecho a obtener justicia pronta y cumplida, el órgano jurisdiccional debe valorar para su efectiva materialización, además del cumplimiento de los presupuestos conocidos en doctrina como Apariencia de Buen Derecho (Fumus Boni Iuris), Peligro en la demora (Periculum in Mora), así como la ponderación de intereses en juego, los cuales se detallarán adelante, la verificación sobre la presencia o existencia de las que se han dado en llamar, características estructurales de la medida cautelar. Refiere lo anterior a la instrumentalidad, la provisionalidad, la urgencia y la summaria cognitio o sumariedad del procedimiento. Tanto los presupuestos indicados como las características señaladas, han de estar presentes para el otorgamiento de la medida que se ha solicitado con la finalidad de proteger y garantizar, provisionalmente el objeto del proceso y la efectividad de la sentencia. En lo que respecta a los presupuestos necesarios para el otorgamiento de la medida cautelar, encontramos los siguientes: a) Apariencia de Buen Derecho: para la procedencia de la medida cautelar debe mediar "seriedad en la demanda", es decir, una probabilidad de éxito tal, que la demanda no resulte a simple vista palmariamente carente de seriedad, o en su caso que sea temeraria. Para la doctrina, no es otra cosa que la probable estimación posterior del derecho material del actor en la sentencia, mediante el análisis propio de un proceso sumarísimo que en forma alguna puede o debe, determinar pronunciamiento sobre el fondo del asunto planteado, sino y en su lugar, únicamente una aproximación al mismo con los elementos presentes al momento del dictado del fallo que acoge o deniega la medida; b) Peligro en la Mora: consiste en el temor objetivamente fundado y razonable de que la situación jurídica sustancial aducida resulte seriamente dañada o perjudicada en forma grave e irreparable, durante el transcurso del tiempo necesario para dictar sentencia en el proceso principal. Este presupuesto requiere la presencia de dos elementos: el daño o perjuicio grave y la demora en el proceso de conocimiento, sin dejar de lado claro está, que dentro de este presupuesto se encuentra lo que la doctrina ha denominado como la "Bilateralidad del Periculum in Mora" o como comúnmente se le conoce, la ponderación de los intereses en juego. El presupuesto alude a la característica que habrán de encontrarse en los daños que se reprochen, son susceptibles de producirse, -actual o potencialmente-, de no adoptarse la medida que se requiere. Daños que deberán ser establecidos como graves, además de tenerse como derivados de la situación aducida. Las lesiones acusadas al menos deben ser comprobadas a través del principio racional de prueba por lo que no basta con aducir el daño en los términos dichos, sino que habrá de acreditarse las circunstancias para ser considerado un daño y que el mismo sea grave. En ese sentido, debe enfatizarse que no basta con alegar la existencia del daño o perjuicio, grave, actual o potencial, sino que debe probarse, lo cual, como se refirió líneas arriba, es una carga procesal que le corresponde asumir a la parte interesada en probar su dicho, artículo 317 del Código Procesal Civil. Sobre la demora en el proceso de conocimiento: Este presupuesto refiere a la situación que se genera con ocasión de los procesos jurisdiccionales que requieren para su desarrollo y posterior fenecimiento, la realización de una serie de actos a través de los cuales se garantiza no sólo el debido proceso, sino la emisión de un fallo que si no se pude llevar a cabo con prontitud al menos que sea justo. El ponerle fin a un proceso de conocimiento demanda tiempo y es precisamente donde la tutela cautelar adquiere especial relevancia, por cuanto mientras llega esa decisión del caso se esta evitando graves daños, que en el caso de darse haría nugatorio el derecho que se reclama. Con la entrada en vigencia del Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo, se vino a solucionar en mucho, aquellos procesos que tardaban años e incluso décadas, hoy día por más esfuerzos que se han realizado los procesos aunque duran menos, por las bondades de la oralidad, hay que cumplir con diferentes etapas, señalamientos, en contraposición con agendas bastantes saturadas, etc, que hacen que los procesos duren un tiempo razonable, pero tiempo al fin. Sobre la bilateralidad del periculum in mora: Bajo esta denominación se alude a la ponderación de los intereses en juego, vinculado ello con el interés público que sea susceptible de encontrarse en necesidad de ser protegido, frente al interés de terceros y por supuesto al interés de quien acude por medio de una medida cautelar, debiendo valorarse comparativamente los mismos, imponiéndose la denegatoria de la medida cuando el perjuicio sufrido o susceptible de ser producido a la colectividad o terceros, sea superior al que podría experimentar el solicitante de la medida.- IV) CARACTERÍSTICAS ESTRUCTURALES DE LA MEDIDA CAUTELAR: Tal y como fuera señalado, además de los presupuestos ya indicados, es necesario que la medida que vaya adoptarse, estructuralmente cuente con las siguientes características: la instrumentalidad lo que significa que guardan una marcada relación de accesoriedad con la sentencia final, pues en definitiva, sirven de instrumento para mantener la vigencia del objeto del proceso en los términos planteados, la provisionalidad, que no es otra cosa que lo acordado respecto de la cautelar, se mantendrá en vigencia y condicionado a lo que se resuelva en el proceso de fondo. Cabe resaltar que también puede ser cesada o modificada en cualquier momento, ante la variabilidad de las condiciones que originariamente le dieron cabida, o bien, adoptar la que de previo hubiere sido rechazada, tal y como lo establece el numeral 29 del Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo, por lo que su eficacia se agota al momento de dictarse la sentencia de mérito, o lo que es lo mismo tiene efectos supeditados a la disposición adoptada en el proceso principal; la urgencia para evitar el peligro en la mora, así como la sumaria cognitio , que este tipo de medidas son adoptadas en virtud de una cognición sumarísima efectuada por el órgano jurisdiccional sin entrar a prejuzgar sobre el mérito del asunto, que de forma alguna podría sustituir las etapas del proceso de conocimiento. Partiendo del anterior marco normativo de análisis y los elementos requeridos para la estimación de una medida cautelar, se procede a realizar el estudio del caso concreto.
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RESULTANDO:
CONSIDERANDO:
POR TANTO
De conformidad con lo expuesto se declara sin lugar la medida cautelar anticipada solicitada por la CÁMARA NACIONAL DE LA INDUSTRIA PALANGRERA en contra del INSTITUTO COSTARRICENSE DE PESCA Y ACUICULTURA (INCOPESCA) y de la tercera interesada ORGANIZACIÓN GLOBAL FISHING WATCH. Se falla este asunto sin especial condenatoria en costas. En su oportunidad Archívese el expediente. NOTIFÍQUESE. Lic. Rodrigo Huertas Durán. Juez.- *RRKTLDMOQP461* RODRIGO HUERTAS DURÁN - JUEZ/A DECISOR/A Clasificación elaborada por CENTRO DE INFORMACIÓN JURISPRUDENCIALdel Poder Judicial. Prohibida su reproducción y/o distribución en forma onerosa.
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