The General Court of the European Union has once again emphasized that genuine use of a trademark is not determined solely by the geographic extent of its use, but by the commercial reality of the market in which it operates.
Germany's new Investment Screening Act (IPG): Familiar foundations, new pitfalls – What every M&A practitioner needs to know
Germany’s FDI screening regime is moving house. The rules now spread across the Foreign Trade and Payments Act (AWG) and Ordinance (AWV) will be consolidated into a standalone Investment Screening Act (Investitionsprüfungsgesetz, IPG), supported by a new Investment Screening Ordinance
Faster, Leaner, Clearer – The FCO’s 2026 Settlement Notice in a Nutshell
On August 19, 2026, ten years after having issued the previous version, the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) published its updated, revised Notice on Settlements in Cartel Fine Proceedings (Merkblatt Settlement, in the following the 2026 Settlement Notice).[1]
Bitte nicht in diesem Ton!
Aus der Zeit gegriffen
SPIEGEL, Cicero und jetzt DIE ZEIT. Wieder einmal setzt ein Gericht die Pressefreiheit mit Durchsuchungsbeschlüssen unter Druck. Anders als bei der SPIEGEL-Affäre in den 1960er Jahren und der Durchsuchung beim Cicero in den 2000er Jahren geht es diesmal nicht um
Can Employees Unilaterally Cancel Parental Leave? German Federal Labor Court Provides Clarity for Employers
Can Employees Unilaterally Cancel Parental Leave? German Federal Labor Court Provides Clarity for Employers
May an employee unilaterally withdraw a previously requested period of parental leave if the statutory eligibility requirements cease to be met before the leave begins? The
EDEKA/Tegut Merger Cleared With Extensive Commitments
Background
The German food retail sector has long faced intense scrutiny from the Federal Cartel Office (FCO). Following a major 2014 sector inquiry into buyer power, the regulator has consistently maintained a strict stance on industry dealmaking: blocking EDEKA’s proposed
No Proof of Authority, No Termination, Germany’s Federal Labor Court Rules
Quick Hits
- Germany’s Federal Labor Court held in a recent decision that if the body with authority to represent the company authorizes individual members to represent the company alone, the termination notice may be rejected if proof of that authorization
Pillars of Society
Thirteen men and two women make up the Christian Democratic Union’s group in the newly constituted state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt. On Tuesday, four of them helped elect a right-wing extremist as President of the Landtag. In protocol, and in politics
Stützen der Gesellschaft
13 Männer und zwei Frauen bilden im soeben konstituierten Landtag von Sachsen-Anhalt die Fraktion der Christlich-Demokratischen Union. Vier von ihnen haben am Dienstag einen Rechtsextremen in das protokollarisch und durchaus auch politisch außerordentlich bedeutsame Amt des Landtagspräsidenten gewählt. Wer genau