In a remarkable decision, the German labor court in Heilbronn (case no. 8 Ca 191/23) dealt with the issue of age discrimination in job advertisements. The focus was on the use of the term “digital native” and its implications for older applicants.
In its ruling on January 27, 2023, the Baden-Württemberg State Labour Court had to assess a complex issue relating to the use of personal data in an employment law context. The case concerned the dismissal of an employee, with the use of data from his work smartphone playing a central role.
In its ruling of September 28, 2023 (case reference 5 Sa 15/23), the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Regional Labour Court made important decisions regarding the reclaiming of salary due to non-performance of work in the home office and the associated burden of presentation and proof.
A decision by the Düsseldorf Regional Labor Court (LAG, 3 Sa 377/22) sheds an interesting light on the topic of whistle-blowing and the protection of trade secrets in the context of employment relationships. The case provides an opportunity to examine both the legal framework and the practical consequences for employers and employees
The Federal Labour Court (BAG) in Germany recently addressed a case focusing on the use of content from WhatsApp chat groups in employment law proceedings. The case, identified as 2 AZR 19/23, involved the permissibility of using chat transcripts from a WhatsApp group as evidence in a termination case.
The Federal Government’s China Strategy provides a comprehensive perspective on the current state of and future opportunities for relations with China. It serves as a guideline for the various ministries of the German government to pursue a unified and coherent policy towards China, especially with regard to digital issues. Current questions in the Bundestag reveal the current position of the German government with regard to China in terms of digital policy.
4th ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting 2024: The fourth ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting, a conference of ASEAN member states’ ministers responsible for technology, was held in early February 2024. The ministers will discuss AI governance and regional anti-fraud issues and sign agreements to promote digital innovation and business opportunities.
The annual meeting, formerly known as the Asean Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers Meeting, shows how Asean is constantly evolving – also with regard to the EU! You can find this article in German in our German-language blog.
A current article in the magazine PraxisSteuerstrafrecht on the topic of criminal tax law and imports deals with customs law and, in particular, the risks of the DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) delivery condition for imports from China for online retailers. It explains how Chinese suppliers often offer customs declaration and tax payment as part of their service, which sounds tempting but carries legal and tax risks.
The complexity and pitfalls of this practice, such as changing the delivery route, the role of indirect representatives in the customs declaration and the tax consequences, are described in detail. The article makes it clear why caution is required both on the Asian side and on the German recipient side. The topic is also worth a few lines here.
What needs to be considered when importing from Asia, especially China or Vietnam – what are the pitfalls when importing goods from China and the Asian region? It is interesting to note that companies sometimes take a rather naïve approach to international trade.
This shows that you sometimes have to be extremely careful – our law firm used to advise clients, especially start-ups, who are dependent on importing products from Asia and China in particular, whether these are manufactured at the client’s request or supplied off the shelf.
Note: Our law firm based in Germany is only active in this area for criminal compliance and IT law, please refrain completely from inquiries regarding other products imported from Asia.
In an internationally coordinated operation, the server infrastructure of the illegal darknet marketplace “Kingdom Market”, which is spread across several countries, has been seized since December 16, 2023 and thus shut down.