Internet, IT and IP law.

In today's world of work, where innovation and creativity play an increasingly important role, numerous legal issues arise regarding the ownership of new inventions and designs created by employees during their employment.

The new Motor Vehicle Ordinance came into force on January 1, 2024. It promises more effective competition law control of vertical agreements in the motor vehicle sector. This article explains who can benefit from this regulation and what requirements must be met.

The canton of Zurich is striving to become an international leader among foundation locations, which is why it is relaxing the conditions for tax exemption. To this end, the Zurich Cantonal Tax Office has changed its practice.

Following the codification and standardization of civil procedural law throughout Switzerland on 1 January 2011, the practicality and enforcement of the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC) is now to be improved after a decade of experience.

Philalia AG* and Wicki Partners AG are pleased to announce a partnership focused on supporting the philanthropic sector. This collaboration combines Philalia's expertise in the philanthropic ecosystem with Wicki Partners' legal knowledge to support social change initiatives.

All persons who live or work in Switzerland must pay AHV contributions from January 1 after they reach the age of 20 until they reach retirement age. This occasionally leads to confusion if a person lives in Switzerland and works for an employer who is not based in Switzerland.

The majority of Swiss stock corporations have structured their shares as registered shares. The requirements for a legally valid transfer of such registered shares are unknown to many company managers. As a result, shares are regularly transferred incorrectly in practice.

Last week, our valued partner Capacity celebrated the graduation ceremony and pitch party of the graduates of the Entrepreneurship Program 2023. In an entertaining, inspiring and motivating evening, the entrepreneurs presented their business ideas and the Capacity community talked about the transformation of the association.

In order to strengthen Switzerland as a foundation location, Parliament decided to revise Swiss foundation law under the title "Strengthening Switzerland as a foundation location". The changes will come into force on January 1, 2024.

If business is good and you want your company to grow, there is often no way around hiring your first employees. If you are planning to take this step, it is important that you are aware in advance of what needs to be considered in this context. This article provides you with an overview and shows you who you can contact with specific questions.

Attorney at Law and IT Law Specialist Sven Kohlmeier was one of the participants who gathered in the lecture hall of the University of Zurich on October 26, 2023 to hear how the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner Dr. Adrian Lobsiger positions himself some 2 months after the new Swiss Data Protection Act came into force.

The 2023 Procurement Conference had a lot to offer under the motto "Everything new? The changing world of procurement": Cloud Service, Data Protection, AI and Sustainability. As a speaker, our lawyer and specialist attorney for IT law (DE) Sven Kohlmeier provided insight into the procurement of AI for public administration and institutions.

When not only one's own life but also that of one's children is shared on social networks, this is called "sharenting. The term is made up of the English words "parenting" and "to share. This article deals with the right to one's own image of children and the phenomenon of sharenting.

In the current environment of rising prices, positive interest rates and geopolitical volatility, companies are increasingly looking for ways to shorten process and supply chains without losing touch with new technologies and market trends. This will increase the importance of the human factor in future transactions: Wherever human knowledge and creativity form the core of the transaction, labor law issues will become more relevant in the context of transactional M&A advice.

On July 10, 2023, the European Commission issued the adequacy decision for data transfers from the EU to the U.S., thus endorsing the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. Find out what this means for Switzerland in our newsletter.

As of July 1, 2023, the new Swiss-wide Code of Professional Conduct (SSR) came into force. The revision aimed at a general modernization. In addition to the reformulation of professional law and professional ethics, the Code of Professional Conduct was supplemented in particular with regulations regarding digitalization and outsourcing.

A recent decision by the Federal Court of Justice of the Federal Republic of Germany on access to an e-mail is also likely to have implications for companies throughout the DACH region.

Cyber attacks on corporate and administrative data are regrettably part of everyday life in the age of digitalization. Often, the public and the people affected either do not learn about such incidents at all or learn about them very late, partly because they fear damage to their reputation. However, it is essential to respond appropriately to such cyber attacks.

In the first article in our series on the data protection revision, we showed you which changes are associated with the revision. In the following, we provide you with recommendations on how to respond to these changes.

On March 3, 2013, Article 95 (3 ) of the Swiss Constitution was incorporated into the Federal Constitution as part of the popular initiative "against rip-offs". The provisions in Art. 95 Para. 3 BV are not directly applicable and identify themselves as mandates to the legislator. Until the implementation of the mandates in the Code of Obligations(CO) as well as in the Criminal Code(SCC), the Federal Council has issued the Ordinance against Excessive Compensation in Listed Stock Corporations(VegüV) as a transitional provision as of January 1, 2014. This article shows in detail how the regulations are implemented in the CO and whether there is a need for action for the stock corporations.

Sven Kohlmeier spoke at the conference about Cybersecurity Best Practices and Considerations in the Time of Covid. In particular, attacks with so-called ransomware (blackmail Trojans, crypto-Trojans, extortion software) pose a considerable threat, especially for companies. Especially in times of home office and teleworking, basic cyber security measures must therefore be observed.

In less than a year, on September 1, 2023, the new Swiss Data Protection Act (revDSG) will come into force. We would like to give you an overview of the new features of the revDSG and any necessary adjustments in your company.

Cease-and-desist letters with the request to issue cease-and-desist declarations and to pay attorney's fees and damages are a permissible means in Germany to pursue various infringements out of court.

Since August 2022, attorney-at-law Sven Kohlmeier strengthens and is responsible for the IT department at Wicki Partners AG.