Category: economics & politics

  • Germany has ratified the European Unitary Patent

    Germany has ratified the European Unitary Patent

    WORDUP PR has been working intensively on patents, innovations and intellectual property for almost 20 years. We are all the more pleased with the news that last week the German Bundestag cleared the way for a European unitary patent by a two-thirds majority. With the approval, the associated patent court will probably finally be able to start work in 2021. The reform of the European patent system, which has been planned since 2013, promises patent applicants significant savings in translation costs and renewal fees, especially for companies that choose to file a patent in several countries.

    As early as 2017, Parliament had adopted a similar draft by a simple majority. At the time, however, the Federal Constitutional Court complained that the consent law required a two-thirds majority in parliament. However, only a small fraction of the Members were present at the april 2017 vote, so the approval was invalid. That is why a new vote in the Bundestag had become necessary: with the votes of all political groups except the AfD, the bill now received the required two-thirds majority.

    The topics of patents, copyright and intellectual property will remain central for WORDUP PR in 2021: Next year, WORDUP PR, in cooperation with its long-standing customer ANAQUA, is planning four specialist events (live, hybrid and virtual) on the topic of innovation and intellectual property, in which the topic of the unitary patent will certainly also be discussed extensively. WORDUP PR has been holding regular specialist events on this topic since 2018, including the international event “Wiesn IP Forum” last year, in which more than 150 guests took part in the Munich Künstlerhaus and the Munich Oktoberfest.

     

  • Interview with economics Professor Dr. Monika Schnitzer

    Interview with economics Professor Dr. Monika Schnitzer

    In the middle of the corona crisis, Achim von Michel discussed in a web seminar with Prof. Dr. Monika Schnitzer from the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich. The focus was on questions about the economy in Germany and Europe, the planned aid packages, European trade and medium-sized companies in the period after the Corona crisis.

    As a member of the Council of Government Experts for assessing macroeconomic developments since 2020, Schnitzer has been one of the so-called “economic methods” that regularly submit forecasts and recommendations to the federal government. She is also professor of comparative economic research at LMU Munich. Her research and teaching focus on competition policy, innovation economics and multinational companies.

    In an online conversation, Prof. Schnitzer presented the current economic forecast of the expert council. According to this, the experts expect an early recovery in the level of consumption: For 2020, the experts are still anticipating a decline in real gross domestic product (GDP) of 6.5 percent, explained Prof. Schnitzer. Next year, however, they expect a phase of recovery and positive growth of 4.9 percent. This should bring GDP back to pre-pandemic levels in 2022. The unemployment rate will continue to rise in the coming months and will only slowly decrease again in the course of 2021. The situation is similar in Europe, albeit with more pronounced fluctuations: For the euro area, the German Council of Economic Experts expects real GDP to decline by 8.5 percent in 2020 and positive growth of 6.2 percent in 2021.

    When asked about the high debt burden of many EU countries, Prof. Schnitzer emphasized that grants from the EU aid package rather than loans are the means of choice to help the hard-hit crisis countries. However, these would have to be linked to conditions that can be met. Unlike many other EU countries, however, Germany can afford to take on new debt: With regard to the German economic stimulus package and its various measures, the expert stated that this could have a fairly broad effect.

    However, the economist also pointed out that a significantly longer period of weakness could be expected if the number of new infections could not be kept low and the previous easing course continued. “It is important that we contain recurring infections in such a way that we can limit them locally,” said Prof. Schnitzer.

    The webinar with Prof. Dr. Schnitzer in full length can be viewed HERE.

  • Our answer to COVID-19 is: Live streaming

    Our answer to COVID-19 is: Live streaming

    Anyone who has planned to hold or attend events in the coming weeks is likely to face major problems at the moment. Not only the major events such as the  Internationale Tourismus Börse (ITB) or the International Handicrafts Fair (IHM) have been canceled due to the increasing spread of the “corona virus”. Smaller events are also increasingly on the brink, as many companies have prohibited their employees from traveling on business or do not want them to take part in events with larger groups of people. The reason is understandable, since a single infected person can lead to the closure of a complete department, small companies can even be faced with a complete closure due to current quarantine requirements. Both have already happened in Germany.

    WORDUP PR has been holding “Intellectual Property Management” events for its client  ANAQUA since 2017. Up to 50 IP experts from Germany and neighboring countries meet two to three times a year to find out about current developments in IP management and trends in the industry. Our latest event “The Future of IP Management” is now also affected by the Covid-19 crisis. In consultation with our client, we therefore decided to host the event at its original location in the Munich Künstlerhaus without an audience as live streaming. This gives our customers the opportunity to keep in touch with their stakeholders and to offer an attractive alternative to conveying information – the email mailboxes are already overflowing with event cancellations in a wide variety of regions. In turn, we have the opportunity to offer the exciting lectures and presentations a stylish stage despite the current adversity and to enrich our event series with another attraction: a conference as a live stream with three cameras and professional image / sound direction.

    Of course, we also hope that the Covid 19 crisis will come to an end quickly and that we can soon enjoy all the relaxed events, trade fairs and receptions again. Maybe the warmer summer weather gives us a breather, at least until late autumn. Until then, we believe that with live streaming of events we have found a good way to ensure the visibility of our customers at manageable costs.

  • Blue Cap AG: Coverage in leading german newspapers

    Blue Cap AG: Coverage in leading german newspapers

    With strong quotations and well-founded guest contributions, Blue Cap AG board member Dr. Hannspeter Schubert was once again present in several German leading media in the second half of 2019. The most important publications for the Blue Cap AG Management Board included articles in the renowned German business newspaper Handelsblatt and in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ). The continuous press work for the listed company has once again led to the desired media perception.

    Amongst other things, the topic was “Financing in SMEs”. In an extensive guest contribution to the FAZ, Schubert emphasized that the close collaboration with only one bank, which is traditionally widespread in medium-sized companies, has now become obsolete. Nowadays, banks would change their strategy in search of profitable business models and increasingly rely on automated valuation processes and risk assessments. Therefore, according to the board of listed blue cap AG, he advised entrepreneurs to a change of strategy: the establishment of business relationships with several banks to secure the best financing instruments on the most favorable terms.

    The tax and finance expert commented on the planned federal state research funding in an article in the Handelsblatt. Even though this initiative is basically going in the right direction, Schubert criticized the burdens imposed on medium-sized companies by bureaucracy and high taxes in this country.

    In another article, also published in the print edition of the Handelsblatt, Schubert reports on his experience with Chinese investors. In his experience, it is generally very difficult to get reliable information about the creditworthiness of Chinese SMEs. The expert complained that there were no standardized and reliable rating procedures in China. The companies in China are often closely linked to the state and often publish hardly any company figures. This unnecessarily complicates foreign business for some companies.

    The original print articles in the Handelsblatt and the FAZ were published with the approval of the publishers in the online business magazine mittelstandinbayern.de. The business magazine for small and medium-sized businesses, which has been in existence since 2012, is listed on Google News, so that the online articles on the publications have ensured a high level of distribution on the Internet.

    In spring Blue Cap AG was already featured  in the Wirtschaftswoche with Dr. Hannspeter Schubert in an extensive article, also available online, Here Schubert gives specific tips on how medium-sized companies can prepare for the upcoming downturn in the economy.

    Lots of media for the press, for Blue Cap AG and its executive board Hannspeter Schubert. WORDUP PR has been advising the company since the end of 2018 in press relations and crisis communication.

    You can directly access all articles by clicking on the respective links in this article.

WORDUP Public Relations Beratung seit 1994
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