Svyatoslav Gladkov

With the amending Regulation (EU) 2024/2822 and the recast Directive (EU) 2024/2823 , the EU legislator has comprehensively modernised the design law that has been in force since 2002. The aim is to adapt the system to technological developments - in particular digital designs and 3D printing -, simplify procedures and harmonise the internal market.

On 21 March 2025, the Regional Court of Cologne (case no. 84 O 29/24) prohibited an airline from advertising with flat-rate CO₂ compensation promises.

In a ruling dated 26 February 2025 (case no. 5 U 11/24), the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court of Hamburg confirmed the dismissal of the action brought by the Federal Association of Consumer Organisations against a Hamburg-based energy supplier.

In its ruling of 6 February 2025 (case no. 15 U 43/24), the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court of Hamburg dismissed all competition law claims brought by the manufacturer of the well-known "Geo-Cube" necklaces against three cube necklaces sold via otto.de. The court found that the low-priced competitor products did not constitute an avoidable misrepresentation of origin or unfair exploitation of reputation and also clarified that the scope of protection under Section 4 No. 3 UWG remains narrow in the case of merely average competitive character.

About the new EU guidelines for environmental advertising claims (green claims) and the associated legal requirements. The focus is on the EmpCo Directive, which introduces stricter rules for advertisers.

Contract and competition law issues are of immense importance in the metaverse. Which law governs contracts concluded in the metaverse? How do metaverse-internal and metaverse-external contracts differ? Can traders in the metaverse compete with traders of real goods? Many questions remain unanswered at present and it remains to be seen how they will be answered.

Is the discounter damaging the brand's reputation? Aldi Süd was successfully ordered by the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court to cease selling perfume products of the JOOP! and Calvin Klein brands.

An environmentally conscious lifestyle is becoming increasingly important to consumers. Companies are therefore increasingly advertising with environmental claims