Articles from Dr. Gerrit Hötzel

Many paths lead to a finished IT product. In addition to the idea and the relevant new ideas for a "product design", a company does not always have its own production plant, the necessary relationships with important suppliers and the resources for sales. In practice, various types of division of labor and cooperation have therefore emerged, within which - among others - the terms OEM, PLM, ODM and EMS are often used. The terms are not regulated by German law and are used in practice with slight differences. The following uses are common:

Crypto Trojans (also known as encryption Trojans, ransomware or blackmail Trojans) often lead to considerable damage, as all of the company's data is encrypted and the data is missing for further business operations and invoicing. Often "indirect damage" also occurs, e.g. if data is no longer accessible for reporting to the tax office. If up-to-date backups are available, the situation can often be resolved with a "scare" and the damage is still manageable. But what happens if there are no up-to-date backups? What are the options? Update (2020): Please also see our article Ransomware: Ransom payments can be illegal.

Digitale Plattformen gelten als Schlüsseltechnologie. In Zeiten der Coronakrise ist eine digitale Ausrichtung des Unternehmens zudem wichtiger denn je. Dabei spielen digitale Plattformen eine wesentliche Rolle. Über sie können z. B. bestehende Produkte vernetzt werden, ein direkter Kundenkontakt ermöglicht und Dienstleistungen über Abo-Modelle umgesetzt werden. Auch können sich neue Geschäftsmodelle ergeben, z. B. im Hinblick auf den Umgang mit Daten und einer Umstellung von Einzelverkäufen zu Abo-Modellen. Egal, wie digitale Plattformen eingesetzt werden, sind rechtliche Rahmenbedingungen zu beachten.

Modern online platforms are often designed as software as a service (SaaS). Economically, the aim is to offer the customer a service and relieve them of the burden of maintenance and care. The contract is structured as a continuing obligation in which payment is made according to certain time units (often monthly or annually). But how should the general terms and conditions be structured and what are the legal requirements?

Overview of the legally required steps
The design of an online store from a legal perspective includes the examination and design of various parts of the online store. It is regularly necessary:

Lizenzverträge kommen immer dann in Betracht, wenn ein Schutzrecht zur Nutzung überlassen wird. Als Schutzrechte kommen vornehmlich in Betracht:

What protection options are there?

OLG Cologne, judgment of 03.02.2016, Ref. 6 U 39/15

The Injunctions Act has been amended.

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been published in the Official Journal and will therefore come into force in May 2018. There is therefore no acute need for implementation. However, the new regulations should be complied with from May 2018.

In March 2016, the previous Community Trade Mark Regulation was replaced by the new European Union Trade Mark Regulation. This has resulted in a number of legal changes. Of particular importance for some existing trade marks is the subsequent registration of goods and services by September 2016 at the latest.

Düsseldorf Regional Court, judgment of 09.03.2016, Ref. 12O 151/15