• The few changes have a big impact
• Consumers, authors and inventors are better protected
Not many changes in the law will come into force in Germany in June 2023 – the innovations that are being implemented are all the more important: they are about short-time work regulations, consumer protection, copyright and the patent system. What will change specifically for the people in Germany?
The short-time work special regulation is expiring
A special regulation for short-time work was introduced with the corona pandemic: If at least ten percent of the employees in a company are absent, the employer can easily register short-time work. This regulation expires on June 31 and, as before the pandemic, there is only short-time work if at least one third (33.3 percent) of the workforce is affected by a loss of work.
Consumer associations are given more room for manoeuvre
Consumer protection is held in high esteem in the EU. From June 25, 2023, there will be a new EU-wide opportunity to bring collective actions: With this new form of class action, consumer associations can then directly sue consumers for damages or repayment claims – without the latter having to go to court themselves.
There is a new obligation to provide information to authors
Not only consumers, but also authors will be better protected from June: On June 7th, the new Paragraph 32d UrhG (Copyright Law) will come into force in Germany. From this date, the author must be informed every year of the exact use of his content when redistributing copyrighted content. This new obligation to provide information is intended to ensure transparency – in future, authors will know even better what reach they realistically have.
A uniform patent system is coming
In addition to the new regulation on representative actions, there is another change at EU level: On June 1, 2023, the patent system will be standardized across Europe. There is a central contact point for the registration of patents. “The new patent system is an important milestone for European companies to protect their intellectual property. It will also help to promote research and innovation in the EU,” writes the German representation of the EU Commission on its website. The innovation is supported by a reduction in the costs of registering a patent.
Editorial office finanzen.net
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