Current News

The precept that no person can dispose of some of their assets in a will while letting the rest pass under the laws of intestacy was one of the quirks of Roman succession law that made the least sense to scholars of later periods. In his dissertation, former research associate at the Institute Dirk Erdelkamp travels through contemporary history in pursuit of the nemo pro parte principle from its emergence and later reception to its present manifestations. more

There’s no general standard for assessing damages for non-economic harms, and outcomes vary across jurisdictions. In his dissertation, Samuel Zeh, former research associate at the Institute, examines the calculation of damages for pain and suffering in transnational cases in light of the competing interests. more

On 22 May 2025, Institute senior research fellow Simon Horn was named fellow of the Dr. Theo and Friedl Schöller Research Center for Business and Society in recognition of his research on forecasts in corporate law. more

Data are the raw materials of the digital transformation. But driven by concerns over a loss of control, market participants exchange data only cautiously. As a consequence, other market actors frequently lack access to relevant data. In this context, data trustees could serve as trustworthy intermediaries. Pascal T. Sierek, research fellow at the Institute, examines in his doctoral dissertation the private law foundations associated with setting up data trustee relationships. more

The Winter Stiftung für Rechte der Natur (Winter Foundation for Rights of Nature) has honoured Institute research fellow Felix Aiwanger for his article “Verträge mit der Natur. Ein Modell zur Internalisierung externer Effekte?” [Contracts with Nature. A Model for Internalizing External Effects?] The annual foundation prize recognizes outstanding legal scholarship exploring potential paths and conceptions serving to improve the substantive protection of nature or its elements more

Claims for damages under antitrust law are of steadily increasing importance. In his doctoral dissertation, former Institute research assistant Jakob Olbing comparatively examines the applicability of foreign antitrust law before German and US courts. Following an in-depth assessment of the current legal situation, Olbing outlines possible future developments affecting the application of foreign antitrust law in proceedings for damages. more

Ayad Yasin Husein Kokha is a Full Professor of International Public Law at Salahaddin University-Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In his current research at the Institute as an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, he examines the family law predicament in which many victims of the crimes of ISIL (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) now find themselves. more