The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is one of the world’s leading arbitration institutions. It has now published its new Rules of Arbitration (available here). These will come into force on 1 June 2026 and will apply to all proceedings instituted on or after that date (“ICC Rules 2026”). With this revision, the ICC is...

At the international level, the regulatory landscape for medical devices is constantly evolving. For all stakeholders, this means staying informed about new developments and adapting internal processes in a timely manner. On May 7, 2026, the European Commission, the Council, and the European Parliament agreed on a reform of the AI Regulation. In its press...

Since the entry into force of the DiRUG (Act implementing the Digitalisation Directive) and the DiREG (Act supplementing the provisions for the implementation of the Digitalisation Directive), the Commercial Register has been fully and freely accessible to the public in electronic form. The personal data stored there can thus be extracted and consolidated on a...

A general restriction of annual leave to a maximum of two consecutive weeks violates Section 7(2), sentence 1 of the Federal Vacation Act (BUrlG). Splitting the leave is permissible only for specific, urgent operational or personal reasons; a general shortage of staff is not sufficient. Vacation may also be granted in summary proceedings if there...

In March 2026, the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV) and the Federal Ministry of Finance jointly unveiled a framework concept for a new type of business entity: the Special Purpose Entity (Gesellschaft mit gebundenem Vermögen, GmgV). But what exactly is behind this initiative — and what does it mean in practice? The...

The participation of external managing directors as partners in the companies they manage is a common structuring tool to align shareholder and management interests and to retain the management team. Often, the corporate position as partner is functionally tied to the office of managing director, so that the end of the management mandate also leads...

If a company wishes to place its trade secrets under the protection of the Trade Secrets Act (GeschGehG), it must take appropriate measures to protect those secrets. The higher the value of the trade secret, the more effective the protective measures must be. This was decided by the Baden-Württemberg Regional Labor Court in its ruling...

Digital platform work involving delivery drivers does not automatically mean that a separate works council can be elected in every delivery area: The Federal Labor Court clarifies the requirements for organizational units eligible for a works council in app-based work models (BAG January 28, 2026 – 7 ABR 23/24). Facts of the case The ruling...

Since December 6, 2025, the European NIS2 Directive has been implemented in Germany in the Act on the Federal Office for Information Security (BSIG). The so-called BSIG introduces binding obligations in the area of IT and cybersecurity for many companies in affected sectors for the first time. A key point here is the reporting obligations...

Construction workers who are employed on construction sites to perform simple tasks, receive an hourly wage, and do not appear to be entrepreneurs on the market are generally classified as dependent employees. This was decided by the Hesse Regional Social Court (LSG). Facts of the case In its ruling of February 20, 2025 (L 8...