Media Response

April 2026, MaxPlanckForschung
Institute research fellow Dr Antonia Sommerfeld is exploring circular economy in the context of private law. Focusing on the example of the global fashion industry, she is partnering with Veronica Ruiz Abou-Nigm (University of Edinburgh) to analyse the legal framework needed to enable a functioning circular economy and to promote more sustainable structures. You can learn more about the project in the current issue of MaxPlanckForschung.  more

8 January 2026, conflictoflaws.net
Institute director Ralf Michaels and Jan Peter Schmidt, head of the Institute’s Centre for the Application of Foreign Law, have profiled the new online version of IPRspr in a blog post on conflictoflaws.net. The IPRspr website, whose title tag is ‘IPRspr 2.0’, provides free access to the Institute’s comprehensive, carefully curated database of German court decisions that touch on private international law. This version of IPRspr is the digital continuation of what was formerly Die deutsche Rechtsprechung auf dem Gebiete des Internationalen Privatrechts (IPRspr – German cases in private international law), which the Institute published from 1926 until the print edition was discontinued in 2022. In particular, Michaels and Schmidt encourage judges, legal scholars, and practicing attorneys to contribute to the growth and thoroughness of this database by submitting new decisions and case notes to the editors. more

3 November 2025, TVR Iași
In an interview with the Romanian television station TVR Iași, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Reinhard Zimmermann, Director Emeritus at the Institute, explains why the study of Roman law remains important today. As described by Zimmermann, historical-comparative analysis creates a basis for addressing current legal questions – in the area of succession law, for instance. Roman law serves as a distant mirror offering us a reflection of our current legal regimes. In the interview, Zimmermann also discusses the importance of international academic exchange for European cohesion and as a counterbalance to current nationalist tendencies. Living abroad is particularly valuable for young people and law students as it allows them to engage with the ideas and cultures of other countries and to view their own legal systems from a distance. They should come to appreciate common European values and learn to communicate with each other across borders. more

31 October 2025, hessenschau
A hessenschau television program marking the first year of Germany‘s new Self-Determination Act (SBGG): Dr Susanna Roßbach, research fellow at the Institute, describes shortcomings in the new provisions. By excluding individuals who are not permanent residents, for example, the SBGG fails to adequately respect human rights. Additionally, in cases of war, the SBGG provides blanket invalidity for recent changes to a gender entry without an individual assessment. more

30 October 2025, Süddeutsche Zeitung
On 1 November 2024, the Self-Determination Act (SBGG) entered into force in Germany, replacing the Transsexuals Act (TSG) that had been in place until that point. In a Süddeutsche Zeitung article, Institute research fellow Dr Susanna Roßbach explains how the process of amending one’s personal status has been changed by the SBGG. No longer necessary are court proceedings, medical certifications, or evaluation procedures that often subjected the involved parties to invasive questions. (paywall article) more

10 October 2025, Podcast “Let’s Talk About Recht” of the Stiftung Forum Recht
On an episode of the podcast Let’s Talk About Recht, Marie-Elisabeth Miersch, research associate at the Stiftung Forum Recht, is joined by Dr Susanna Roßbach, senior research fellow at the Institute, along with attorneys Laura Kleiner and Caroline Greb. Together they discuss the questions: Who, or what, is family? How does the law protect families, and where is there still room for improvement? more

19 August 2025, BR24
A radio report by BR24 on the contradictory legal position of animals quotes Institute research fellow Dr Felix Aiwanger. In his view animals currently possess an “interim legal status”; although they are not considered “objects” under the German Civil Code (BGB), they are often treated as such legally. Nevertheless, the interests of animals are gradually coming into greater focus, in family law for example. In the future, animals could possibly be granted the status of legal subjects. more

18 July 2025, HÖRZU WISSEN
Dr. Matthias Pendl, senior research fellow at the Institute, explains in an interview with HÖRZU WISSEN how emojis can be used to communicate in a concealed fashion. Providing several examples, he illustrates how seemingly harmless messages can in certain contexts be made offensive, threatening, or inciting through the use of emojis.
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28 May 2025, FamRZ Podcast “familiensachen”
Dr Susanna Roßbach, senior research fellow at the Institute, is featured on the podcast “familiensachen” [family matters], a production of the journal Zeitschrift für das gesamte Familienrecht (the FamRZ), where she joins Philipp Reuß, law professor at the University of Göttingen, Jörn Müller, judge of the Koblenz Higher Regional Court, and Veronika Bodensteiner, online editor of the FamRZ, to talk about the background and contents of Germany’s Selbstbestimmungsgesetz [Self-determination act – the SBGG]. more

26 March 2025, RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland
In an interview with the news site RND.de, Dr. Matthias Pendl, senior research fellow at the Institute, explores the role of emojis in digital communication. Citing the Netflix series Adolescence as an example, he illustrates how easily these symbols can be misinterpreted. The same emoji may carry entirely different meanings depending on the context or subculture in which it appears. This ambiguity can pose challenges for courts and law enforcement, particularly for investigators working to prevent or prosecute criminal activity. For that reason, emojis shouldn't be dismissed as mere play; instead, their use deserves serious attention and study. more

30 October 2024, Legal Tribune Online
In a guest article on Legal Tribune Online, senior research fellow at the Institute Dr Bastian Brunk makes the case against repealing the Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz, Germany’s national legislation on corporate supply chain due diligence, and explains how a small number of clarifying amendments could go a long way toward less bureaucracy and better protection of human rights. more

12 October 2024, Verfassungsblog – On matters constitutional
In a guest article for Verfassungsblog.de, senior research fellow at the Institute Dr Felix Aiwanger criticizes draft legislation put forward by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture to reform the Tierschutzgesetz, Germany’s animal welfare act. Aiwanger addresses three particular proposals that miss the mark when it comes to improving animal welfare. more

5 June 2024, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Article about the Monopolies Commission on the occasion of its 50^th anniversary. The author cites, among others, our recently deceased Director emeritus Jürgen Basedow, who was a member of the Monopolies Commission from 2000 to 2008 and its chairman from 2004 to 2008. (paywall article) more

1 April 2024, Schwäbische Zeitung
An interview with institute director emeritus Klaus J. Hopt about his personal and academic career. Hopt talks about his enthusiasm for teaching and engaging with the next generation of legal scholars and also pleads for greater involvement and for striving to achieve in the face of economic and social challenges. more

4 March 2024, taz
The series “Orte des Wissens” in the taz Nord regularly portrays various research institutions. In this article, the Institute and its research on comparative and international private law are introduced. more

17 October 2023, Anwalt.de
In this article for the legal advice platform Anwalt.de, attorney Karl Felix Oppermann works up a hypothetical to show just how useful the Institute’s publication of the “Hamburg Guidelines” for ascertaining and applying foreign law in German proceedings is for anyone practising law in Germany. From the perspective of a German judge assigned to hear a transnational succession case, Oppermann describes how these guidelines help ascertain and correctly apply the pertinent foreign legal norms. more

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
A guest article by director at the Institute Ralf Michaels and Jan Peter Schmidt, head of the Centre for the Application of Foreign Law. Michaels and Schmidt explain how the new “Hamburg Guidelines” for ascertaining and applying foreign law in German proceedings can serve as an orientation for judges, experts, and litigants in cases that span jurisdictional boundaries. The guidelines were drafted by legal scholars at the Institute together with external authorities and in close cooperation with judges, legal counsel, and other practitioners. They were presented to the public on 9 October 2023 at the Hanseatisches Oberlandesgericht (the higher regional court of Hamburg). more

23 June 2023, Il Messaggero
The Italian daily Il Messaggero reports on the award of the prestigious Antonio Feltrinelli Prize, awarded each year by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, the Italian national academy of sciences. The award honours Italian as well as foreign artists, scholars, and scientists. Emeritus director at the Institute Reinhard Zimmermann won the award for his trailblazing contribution to the Europeanization of legal scholarship. An award ceremony was held at the academy’s palazzo on the Via della Lungara in Rome on 23 June. Another daily, La Stampa, also reported on the event. more

1 June 2023, Die Justizreporter*innen
Die Justizreporter*innen is a legal podcast produced by the public broadcaster Südwestrundfunk. In this episode, Director at the Institute Ralf Michaels and Nadjma Yassari, head of the Institute’s research group on the laws of Muslim countries, explain the Federal Constitutional Court’s judgment in re Germany’s Gesetz zur Bekämpfung von Kinderehen (Act to combat child marriages) and its consequences. Michaels and Yassari shed light on how both the law and the judgment came about and, more generally, on the legal status of early marriages. more

20 April 2023, Correctiv Faktencheck
The investigative non-profit CORREKTIV debunks the assertion that the Federal Constitutional Court overturned the categorical ban on child marriage when it decided a case that challenged the Act to Prevent Child Marriages. Nadjma Yassari, head of the Institute’s research group for the law of Islamic countries, explains why the Federal Constitutional Court found the law unconstitutional and clarifies that the court’s ruling upholds the permissibility of declaring child marriages categorically invalid.

19 April 2023, F.A.Z. Einspruch Podcast
Nadjma Yassari, head of the Institute’s research group for the law of Islamic countries, and Ralf Michaels, director at the Institute, were interviewed for this podcast. In the interview, they explain and discuss the consequences of the Federal Constitutional Court’s decision on the Act to Prevent Child Marriages.

13 April 2023, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Jürgen Basedow, director emeritus at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law, died on 6 April 2023. He was director at the Institute from 1997 until 2017. In her profile of the renowned legal scholar and tribute to his life’s work, Corinna Budras, business correspondent for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, addresses Basedow’s influence in competition law in particular. more

29 March 2023, Süddeutsche Zeitung
The Federal Constitutional Court has ruled that the Law to Combat Child Marriage is incompatible in its current form with Germany‘s Basic Law. Under the 2017 law, a marriage was deemed invalid if either of the spouses were under 16 at the time of the marriage’s conclusion. The Court’s ruling made reference to a 2020 study prepared by the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law – at the request of the Constitutional Court judges – which detailed the legislation and approach of other countries in relation to such marriages. more

13 March 2023, stern
In some countries of the Global South, rivers, courts and lakes are entitled to bring an action before court. Institute Director Ralf Michaels explains what this means for the protection of nature – and whether it is a model conceivable in Germany. (paywall article) more

21 January 2023, stern
Article on the recently published book “Emojis im (Privat-)recht” [Emojis in (Private) Law], by Matthias Pendl, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute. (paywall article) (in German) more

14 January 2023, LTO Karriere
“Experience abroad can be gained as a doctoral student as well.” Jakob Olbing, Research Associate at the Institute, describes for LTO his experience as a visiting researcher at Harvard Law School. (in German) more

9 January 2023, Max Planck Law
The death of 22-year-old Iranian woman Masha Gina Amini on 16 September 2022 led to national and international outcry. Nadjma Yassari, Senior Research Fellow and head of the Institute Research Group ‘Changes in God’s Law—An Inner-Islamic Comparison of Family and Succession Laws’ discusses the most important questions regarding the ongoing protests in Iran in an interview with Max Planck Law. What misconceptions do Western-trained jurists have when thinking about the current events in Iran? How strict is the implementation of Islamic law in the country? more

7 January 2023, Deutschlandfunk Kultur
The ambiguity of Emojis poses new challenges for judges around the world: “Emojis can operate on different levels of meaning, and they can also be perceived in different ways.” Matthias Pendl, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute, explains why legal researchers need to develop a greater awareness of the issue. (in German) more

21 December 2022, TalentRocket Podcast "New Lawyers"
Nadjma Yassari, head of the research group "Changes in God’s Law – An Inner-Islamic Comparison of Family and Succession Laws" at the Institute, talks with Alisha Andert about the political system in Iran and the role of the West, among other topics.

20 December 2022, Max Planck Research
Interview with Matthias Pendl, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute.

7 December 2022, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Emojis have become an integral part of digital communication, and many people use them in formulating messages and social media posts. Emojis serve functions similar to non-verbal elements of communication such as body language, intonation and facial expressions. Thus a 👍 in WhatsApp can be interpreted as indicating agreement or consent. Matthias Pendl, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute describes in the FAZ the legal problems that can result. (paywall article) (in German) more

4 December 2022, Deutschlandfunk Kultur
Stream the panel discussion “ENCOUNTER – DOCUMENTA FIFTEEN als politisches und kulturelles Ereignis” (‘Encounter: d15’ as a political and cultural event) from 21 November 2022 at the Hamburg Institute for Social Research (HIS). Institute director Ralf Michaels was one of the panelists. The event was reported on by Deutschlandfunk Kultur on 21 November and Hamburger Abendblatt on 23 November 2022.

26 October 2022, Legal Tribune Online
Nadjma Yassari, head of the research group “Changes in God's Law – An Inner-Islamic Comparison of Family and Succession Laws” at the Institute, surveys the constitutional as well as criminal basis for the dress code of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

19 October 2022, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
German succession law is based on testamentary freedom, thus allowing an individual to decide for himself to whom his assets will pass upon death. However, the right to receive a compulsory portion limits this power and guarantees that the closest family members (spouse or children) are entitled to half of the deceased’s estate. In an article published in the FAZ, the topic is discussed by emeritus Institute director Reinhard Zimmermann and Institute Senior Research Fellow Ben Köhler. (paywall article) (in German) more

26 June 2022, taz
As a consequence of racist Imperial-era laws that prevented his grandparents from marrying, German citizenship was withheld from Gerson Liebl. Institute Director Ralf Michaels and Matthias Goldmann (Universität Wiesbaden) have undertaken an analysis of the Liebl case. In her article, Susanne Memarnia makes clear the ways in which racist paradigms of the colonial era still project their effect today.

10 April 2022, Anwaltsblatt
As commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Justice (BMJ), the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law and the Max Planck Institute Luxemburg for International, European and Regulatory Procedural Law have issued joint opinions on the EU Service of Documents Regulation and on the EU Taking of Evidence Regulation. In the article, Peter Bert discusses the submissions of the two Institutes.

15 May 2022, Berliner Zeitung
In this opinion piece, Institute Director Ralf Michaels comments on the banning in Berlin of any pro-Palestinian gatherings commemorating Nakba Day or marking the violent death of Al Jazeera journalist Schirin Abu Akle (paywall article). The Berlin newspaper referred again to the op-ed piece in this news story from 15.05.2022. The commentary first appeared on 14.05.2022 in a blog on constitutional topics under the title „Versammlungsfreiheit gilt auch für Palästinenser“ [Freedom of Assembly Applies to Palestinians as well]. It has been cited, inter alia, in  junge Welt (17.05.2022), +972 Magazine (21.05.2022), Telepolis (heise online, 25.05.2022) and the Süddeutsche Zeitung (27.05.2022).

25 March 2022, Legal Tribune Online
German lawmakers would like to reform international judicial assistance for US courts. What approach should they take? And does such a reform risk giving away German trade secrets? In a guest essay, Institute research associates Jakob Olbing and Philomena Hindermann address these two question in detail.

2 September 2021, BR Podcast
According to estimates of UNICEF, approximately 12 million women under the age of 18 enter into marriage each year. In the interview, Institute Director Ralf Michaels and Nadjma Yassari, Head of the Research Group on Islamic Law, describe the phenomenon of early marriage in the context of different legal systems and legal cultures.

20 May 2021, Völkerrechtsblog
The Vienna talks between participants of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (known commonly as the Iran nuclear deal) raise hope for a lifting of US secondary sanctions against Iran. In his latest piece on Völkerrechtsblog Khashayar Biria, Research Associate and member of the Research Group on the Law of Islamic Countries at the institute, analyzes the structure of financial sanctions and their impact on humanitarian trade with Iran, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

9 April 2021, Tagesspiegel Background (Digitalisierung & KI)
Marcel Grzanna examines in his article the growing use of digital technology in the judicial system in China, where blockchain, big data and artificial intelligence are increasingly supporting the work of judges. Also quoted in the paper is Knut Benjamin Pißler, senior research fellow and head of the Centre of Expertise on China and Korea at the Institute, who refers to the danger of the Chinese state abusing digital possibilities in the legal system (paywall article).

3 December 2020, Süddeutsche Zeitung
Wolfgang Janisch reports extensively in the Süddeutsche Zeitung on the comparative study on early marriage that was prepared at the Institute for the German Federal Constitutional Court. A team of researchers headed by Nadjma Yassari and Ralf Michaels examine early marriage in the context of different legal systems and legal cultures. See also: Early marriage in the constitutional spotlight.

2 September 2020, Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland/dpa
The dpa-report discusses companies’ general terms and conditions in terms of both their legality and the traps they may hold; it cites research results from an SSRN article by Jürgen Basedow, Emeritus Director of the Institute.

1 September 2020, Handelsblatt, Votum
In this commentary, Klaus J. Hopt, Emeritus Director of the Institute, considers the proposal to create a single European Business Code that would bring together the heterogeneous EU legal acts. Published in the print edition of the Handelsblatt.

8 June 2020, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Institute Director Ralf Michaels examines in this article the ongoing debate regarding Achille Mbembe and the accusations of antisemitism raised in Germany against the Cameroonian historian and post-colonial theoretician. The article appeared first in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and was translated from German by Edith C. Watts for the online magazine Latitude: Rethinking Power Relations for a decolonized and non-racial world. The full article (in English) can be found here.

4 June 2020, Verfassungsblog
In this podcast episode of the Verfassungsblog, journalist Max Steinbeis talks with Institute Director Ralf Michaels about the current situation in the USA, including the topics of racism, police brutality and the role of Donald Trump.

20 May 2020, Symphoniker Hamburg
Artistic director Daniel Kühnel talks with Institute Director Reinhard Zimmermann about his work as well as the historical and comparative dimensions of law.

24 February 2020, Hamburger Abendblatt
In her article, Theresa Palm writes about the difficulties women face when trying to advance their careers. Dörthe Engelcke, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute, describes her personal way of dealing with such challenges. Printed in the Hamburger Abendblatt, 24 February 2020.