GRP Rainer LLP

Cancelling Life Insurance Policies: Instruction on Cancellation Is Decisive

LogoGRP Rainer Lawyers and Tax Advisors in Cologne, Berlin, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and London – http://www.grprainer.com/en conclude: Within the space of a few weeks, the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) twice had to rule on the right of withdrawal with respect to life insurance policies. A consequence of the BGH’s case law is that properly informing the policyholder is decisive in determining whether the insurance policy can still be rescinded after the actual cancellation period has expired.

International Law Increasingly Important

LogoGRP Rainer Lawyers and Tax Advisors in Cologne, Berlin, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and London – http://www.grprainer.com/en conclude: Distances no longer pose a problem, many borders are open and a lot of firms operate internationally. Increasing globalisation has opened up new sales markets and possibilities. At the same time, the legal situation for international business relationships has become far more unclear, as national law is frequently not applicable in cases where foreign elements are involved.

IT Law Gaining in Importance on Many Issues

LogoGRP Rainer Lawyers and Tax Advisors in Cologne, Berlin, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and London – http://www.grprainer.com/en conclude: Due to enormous technical developments over the past few years, IT law or information technology law has gained hugely in importance. There is an internet connection in almost every household and, of course, at most workplaces. As much as technology can be a boon for many businesses and private users, it has equally raised many new legal questions. IT law comes into contact with a series of other legal fields, in particular data protection law, trademark law, copyright law and competition law.

Trademark Law: Trademarks Represent Considerable Value

LogoGRP Rainer Lawyers and Tax Advisors in Cologne, Berlin, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and London – http://www.grprainer.com/en conclude: The more well-known a trademark becomes, the greater its value to the business – whether international or national. In order to prevent third parties unintentionally profiting from a good brand name, it is important to protect and register the trademark. In doing so, it is a good idea to determine the territorial sphere of activity. In principle, the trademark is initially considered to be protected within the borders of the country in which it was entered into a trademark register. However, it may be necessary to expand the scope of protection beyond these borders.

Ship Funds: World Trade Losing Momentum

LogoGRP Rainer Lawyers and Tax Advisors in Cologne, Berlin, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and London – http://www.grprainer.com/en conclude: Fondstelegramm reported that the container throughput index of the Rhineland-Westphalia Institute for Economic Research (Rheinisch-Westfälischen Instituts für Wirtschaftsforschung (RWI)) and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (Instituts für Seeverkehrswirtschaft und Logistik (ISL)) decreased in May from 122.6 to 121.3 points. They claimed this indicates that world trade is losing momentum.

Company Succession: A Complex Process with Lots of Room to Manoeuvre

LogoGRP Rainer Lawyers and Tax Advisors in Cologne, Berlin, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and London – http://www.grprainer.com/en conclude: Should the boss, that is to say the owner of a firm, wish to retire in the foreseeable future, the issue of company succession has to be settled – a complex process that raises many questions (including legal ones).

Enforcing and Repelling International Jurisprudence in Germany

LogoGRP Rainer Lawyers and Tax Advisors in Cologne, Berlin, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and London – http://www.grprainer.com/en conclude: State borders also mark the end of the jurisdiction of courts. This can lead to problems if the matter is one of enforcing claims against foreign debtors.

International Inheritance Law: Particularities of Inheriting and Bequeathing in Cases Involving a Foreign Element

LogoGRP Rainer Lawyers and Tax Advisors in Cologne, Berlin, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and London – http://www.grprainer.com/en conclude: In lots of cases, the different national provisions on inheritance law clash with one another. There are basically three criteria that need to be observed here: the testator’s nationality, the testator’s last place of residence and assets abroad.

Inheritance Tax: Are Tax Concessions for Businesses Toppling?

LogoGRP Rainer Lawyers and Tax Advisors in Cologne, Berlin, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and London – http://www.grprainer.com/en conclude: Those inheriting companies can benefit from tax concessions. Whether these concessions are constitutional or contravene the principle of equality is the question which the Federal Constitutional Court has been grappling with since July 8, 2014. The Constitutional Court found itself confronted with this question as early as 2006. Back then it decided that the privileges for those inheriting businesses were legitimate if they served the wider common good. In doing so, it principally looked at the preservation of the company and thus jobs. Companies with more than 20 employees can benefit from this.

Illicit Earnings in Estate: Heirs Must Be Careful - Voluntary Declaration

LogoGRP Rainer Lawyers and Tax Advisors in Cologne, Berlin, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and London – http://www.grprainer.com/en conclude: In the case of bereavement and the associated inheritance, thoughts of tax evasion are initially very remote. Heirs may nevertheless render themselves liable to prosecution if the testator also leaves behind untaxed illicit earnings. If the heirs do not declare this to the competent tax authorities, they render themselves liable to prosecution for tax evasion.