05.02.2020

The Coronavirus and Business Travel - Employees with a Temperature make Employers Work up a Sweat

The coronavirus continues to spread within and beyond China despite drastic measures such as quarantines for whole cities, obligations to wear face masks, closures of airports and parts of public…

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13.01.2020

Update on the German Transparency Register: Reporting obligation for GmbH & Co. KG's due to the change in practice of the German Federal Office of Administration

Since October 2017, German law requires the so-called "beneficial owner" of a GmbH or partnership to be entered in the Transparency Register. The beneficial owner under the German Money Laundering Act is…

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10.09.2019

A fresh breeze from Brussels: The future EU Commissioners in the areas trade, competition and digitalization

The President-elect of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, presented on Tuesday September 10th her new team and the structure of the next Commission. We took a closer look at the designated…

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04.09.2019

New companies and
associations code in
Belgium brings
fundamental changes

Belgium enacted a new Companies and Associations Code ("Code des sociétés et des associations"; CSA/WVV, or Wetboek van vennootschappen en verenigingen)[1] as well as new tax legislation in February 2019…

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11.08.2019

Steward-Ownership for Start-ups

While some DAX corporations are still busy, trying to find a clear purpose (Handelsblatt dated 18 April 2019 – “The question of why: what gives our work meaning” (“Die Frage nach dem Warum: Was unserer…

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11.08.2019

Schrems vs. Facebook: much ado about nothing? How organizations can transfer personal data to the USA

The judgment of the European Court of Justice ("ECJ") of 6 October 2015 (Case No. C-362/14) invited more media attention than one might expect from such a ruling. Maximilian Schrems, an Austrian lawyer and…

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11.08.2019

The new German Trade Secrets Act in a nutshell – an overview of the new legal system

On 26 April 2019, the German Trade Secrets Act (Geschäftsgeheimnisschutzgesetz, GeschGehG) entered into force in Germany. This act implements the European Union Directive (EU) 2016/943 and establishes and…

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11.08.2019

The end of flexible working time arrangements? New limits for start-ups?

Working life today is fast-paced. This is particularly true for start-ups, which thrive on the fast pace, creativity and drive of employees and other contributors. This is far from the prevailing image of…

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11.08.2019

“Smiley with a thermometer in the mouth”: the “WhatsApp doctor’s certificate”

WhatsApp simplified communication. For (almost) every situation there is a smiley or an emoji. The following combination of smileys and emojis:”waving hand,” “nerd face,” “see-no-evil monkey,” “face with a…

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11.08.2019

A word about Vesting

One of the central provisions of any investment and participation agreement is the vesting provision. Despite their importance, we see many such provisions, which work for neither the founders nor the…

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11.08.2019

What Non-U.S. Venture Capital Fund Managers Need To Know Before Pursuing U.S. Investors

As the European venture capital fund industry continues to grow, many German and other European-based venture capital fund managers seeking to raise capital from U.S. investors are realizing that the…

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04.03.2019

No Reduction in Holiday Pay due to Short-Time Work

European Court of Justice (ECJ), decision of 13 December 2018, file ref. C-385/17 The holiday pay provided for the statutory minimum leave may not be less than the normal remuneration, even in the event…

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