Reverse Engineering im Spannungsfeld der Sonderschutzrechte

In implementation of Directive (EU) 2016/943, Section 3 (1) No. 2 GeschGehG (German Trade Secrets Act) explicitly legalizes reverse engineering for the first time in the history of German trade secrets law. Subject of this thesis is a comprehensive exploration of this new freedom of reverse engineering. To this end, the author develops a definition of reverse engineering that takes into account the reality of economic life. After a practice-oriented interpretation of Section 3 (1) No. 2 GeschGehG, its effects on the entire legal protection of entrepreneurial know-how are examined. The focus is on the effects on copyright, patent and unfair competition law. In this context, the author develops goal-oriented solutions to various unanswered legal questions.

Was it worth it? The impact of the German minimum wage on union membership of employees

This contribution scrutinises how introducing a statutory minimum wage of EUR 8.50 per hour, in January 2015, impacted German employees’ decision with regard to union membership. Based on representative data from the Labour Market and Social Security panel, the study applies a logistic difference-in-differences propensity score matching approach on entries into and withdrawals from unions in the German Trade Union Confederation (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB). The results show no separate effect on withdrawals from or entries into unions after the minimum wage introduction for those employees who benefited financially from it, but a significant increase of entries overall. Thus, unions’ campaign for a minimum wage strengthened their position in total but did not reverse the segmentation of union membership patterns.

Arab-German Trade and Institutions: The Effect of Good Governance on Arab Exports to Germany

Does good governance matter for exporting to the highly competitive markets of developed countries, especially those committed to a developmental mission centered on promoting good governance? This paper is investigating this research question. The focus of the analysis is the case study of Arab exports to the German economy, where a comparatively poor performance in comparison to that of other regions of the world is witnessed, despite geographical proximity and preferential trade agreements. Using statistical data and the literature on the subject, the paper engages in a discussion on German trade flows from Arab countries and whether governance indicators provide a good explanatory framework. The research question is then investigated empirically by running several regressions using the two-stage least-squares and Poisson pseudo maximum likelihood models. Different indicators of German exports are used as dependent variables while the independent variables are various governance indicators together with the control variables suggested by the gravity model. The obtained empirical results suggest that good governance generally boosts Arab exports to Germany and relatively more than it does for non-Arab exporters to Germany. This is especially true for governance indicators that directly affect exporting activities, such as regulatory quality and government effectiveness. For some indicators that indirectly affect exporting, however, the results are mixed for both Arab and non-Arab countries, especially for the textile industry. This sheds doubts on Germany’s developmental commitment to fostering good governance principles.

German Trade Unions, Their History, and the Use of Memory

This article summarizes the results of the work of a commission of the German Trade Union Confederation, Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB), on the memory cultures of social democracy and trade unionism in Germany and highlights its recommendations on how to strengthen the public memory of the achievements of trade unionism in German society. It argues that the contemporary memory cultures are highly deficient and in need of a major boost in order to make trade unionism fit for the struggles of the twenty-first century. Memory will be a crucial resource for trade unions, as it gives them a “practical past” with which to operate in the presence with a view to strengthening and protecting workers’ rights in the future.

German Exports: Impact on the Selected EU Countries

This research focuses on the impact of German exports on exports of the other selected EU countries. We used the Global VAR approach to build a robust trade model between 23 EU countries, the USA, and China. By stressing this model with different shocks, we were able to observe how exports of the EU countries react to German loss of competitiveness and decline of demand from Germany. Based on our simulation, we could identify countries which i. are Germany’s competitors and would benefit from German loss of competitiveness, ii. are tied with German trade so tightly that loss of German competitiveness would negatively affect their exports.