GRP Rainer LLP

In its rulings from May 16 and 30, 2017, the Bundesfinanzhof (BFH), Germany's Federal Fiscal Court, has made it easier for a partner to withdraw from a partnership (Az.: IV R 31/14 and IV R 11/15).

A dentist is allowed to promote his or her homepage with the term "Praxisklinik", i.e. "(practice) clinic", even if they do not admit patients for extended periods of time as inpatients. That was the verdict of the Regional Court of Essen.

It is possible for a power of attorney to constitute a valid will. That was the verdict of the Oberlandesgericht (OLG) Hamm, the Higher Regional Court of Hamm, in a ruling from May 11, 2017 (Az.: 10 U 64/16).

If there is reason to suspect that management has breached its duties, the shareholders of a GmbH, a type of a German private limited company, can request that a special audit be carried out.

If a company abuses its market power, this constitutes a violation of antitrust law. In a ruling from January 23, 2018, the Bundesgerichtshof, Germany's Federal Supreme Court, has bolstered the Bundeskartellamt, Germany's Federal Cartel Office.

The commercial agent's right to claim compensation in the event of turnover increases with past clients comes up time and time again as a contentious issue.

Businesses are not allowed to abuse their dominant market position, as this constitutes a violation of antitrust law. The key issue that requires assessment is when this kind of abuse has occurred.

Patchwork families, also known as blended families, are no longer a rarity today, yet succession law has yet to adapt to this development. According to the rules of intestate succession, stepchildren come away empty-handed.

When it comes to the removal of a shareholder managing director of a GmbH, a type of German private limited liability company, for good cause, it is a matter of whether there was in fact good cause at the time the decision was taken.

The Oberlandesgericht (OLG) München [Higher Regional Court of Munich] has ruled that promoting a homeopathic medicinal product with a promise of success is prohibited and a violation of competition law.