{"id":35858,"date":"2026-08-31T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T06:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/?p=35858"},"modified":"2026-08-31T16:50:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T14:50:34","slug":"risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\/","title":{"rendered":"Risk of Recurrence Following a Merger"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull v4-pattern-hero v4-pattern-hero--post is-style-background-blend is-style-arrow has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull is-light v4-pattern-hero__cover\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);min-height:75vh;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img data-dominant-color=\"b91ea6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-35856 size-large not-transparent\" alt=\"Wiederholungsgefahr nach Verschmelzung, Wettbewerbsrecht, Rechtsanwalt\" src=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Wiederholungsgefahr-nach-Verschmelzung-1024x576.avif\" style=\"--dominant-color: #b91ea6; object-position:44% 71%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"44% 71%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Wiederholungsgefahr-nach-Verschmelzung-1024x576.avif 1024w, https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Wiederholungsgefahr-nach-Verschmelzung-300x169.avif 300w, https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Wiederholungsgefahr-nach-Verschmelzung-768x432.avif 768w, https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Wiederholungsgefahr-nach-Verschmelzung-1536x864.avif 1536w, https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Wiederholungsgefahr-nach-Verschmelzung-2048x1152.avif 2048w\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-base-background-color has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div style=\"height:5em\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-97ba1214 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-a6a2a725 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\r\n<h1 id=\"multirow-headline-block_b95a5ea541596a38e501b5d251d1fdec\" class=\"wp-block-visual4-multirow-headline\">\r\n    <div class=\"wp-block-visual4-multirow-headline\">\n\n<p class=\"has-huge-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0%;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:normal;font-weight:1000;line-height:1;text-transform:uppercase\">Risk of Recurrence<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-huge-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-right:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:15%;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:normal;font-weight:1000;line-height:1;text-transform:uppercase\">following to<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-contrast-color has-text-color has-link-color has-gigantic-font-size wp-elements-1 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0%;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:normal;font-weight:1000;line-height:1;text-transform:uppercase\"><span class=\"v4-marker-highlight-background\">merger<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/div> \r\n<\/h1>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-small-font-size is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-878d3859 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:0;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:italic;font-weight:300;text-transform:uppercase\"><div style=\"font-style:italic;font-weight:300;text-transform:uppercase\" class=\"wp-block-post-date has-small-font-size\"><time datetime=\"2026-08-31T08:30:00+02:00\">31. August 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">of<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"font-style:italic;font-weight:600\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\">Clemens Pfitzer<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-3b99a472 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>If a company acquires another company through a merger, and the acquired company is already the subject of an injunction proceeding for a competition law violation, does the acquiring company then automatically remain liable? And does it make a difference that the acquiring company continues the disputed business practice through the same website?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-zwei-vertragszusammenfassungen-und-eine-fusion-mitten-im-prozess\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Two Contract Summaries and a Merger in the Middle of the Litigation<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A telecommunications provider offered Internet, telephone, and television services through a single website. Customers could select an Internet and telephone plan as well as a separate television access service; both could be ordered together or independently of one another. For both services, the provider provided a separate contract summary as a PDF during the ordering process, rather than a combined summary for the package. It was only during this final step of the ordering process that customers learned which company they were actually entering into a contract with.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Federal Association of Consumer Organizations considered this to be unfair and demanded that the practice be ceased. The Munich I Regional Court dismissed this motion in its judgment of May 14, 2024 (Case No. 33 O 8186\/23), but granted a second motion\u2014which is not the focus of this case\u2014regarding another advertising practice. The Munich Higher Regional Court then ruled against the provider in <a href=\"https:\/\/openjur.de\/u\/2536274.html\">its appellate decision of September 25, 2025 (Case No. 6 U 2074\/24 e)<\/a> regarding the separate contract summaries.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the appeal proceedings\u2014that is, the proceedings before the Federal Court of Justice, in which only legal issues are examined and no new facts are considered\u2014the defendant company merged with another company within the same corporate group, effective November 13, 2025. The parties then mutually declared the second point of dispute to be settled. However, they continued to dispute the separate summaries of the contracts, now with the new company as the defendant.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-wieso-andert-die-fusion-mitten-im-verfahren-etwas\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why does the merger in the middle of the proceedings change anything?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Federal Court of Justice first had to clarify who was actually a party to the proceedings. If a company represented by a lawyer merges with another company during an ongoing legal dispute, the acquiring company, according to settled case law, enters the proceedings without interrupting them and is represented by the same attorney. The lawsuit against the new defendant was therefore admissible.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, this only addresses the question of who can sue and be sued. It says nothing about the merits of the case itself.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-warum-haftet-die-rechtsnachfolgerin-nicht-automatisch-weiter\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why doesn\u2019t the legal successor automatically continue to be liable?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is precisely where the crux of the  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rechtsprechung-im-internet.de\/jportal\/portal\/t\/19ke\/page\/bsjrsprod.psml?pid=Dokumentanzeige&amp;showdoccase=1&amp;js_peid=Trefferliste&amp;documentnumber=1&amp;numberofresults=10908&amp;fromdoctodoc=yes&amp;doc.id=jb-KORE616062026&amp;doc.part=L&amp;doc.price=0.0&amp;doc.hl=1#focuspoint\">Decision of the Federal Court of Justice dated June 3, 2026 &#8211; Case No. I ZR 213\/25<\/a>. The Federal Court of Justice dismissed the action against the current defendant because there is no so-called \u201crisk of recurrence\u201d\u2014that is, the legally presumed risk that someone will commit a violation again after having committed it once. This risk is a prerequisite for a claim for injunctive relief. The Senate explains that, according to established case law, an infringement committed by officers or employees of a company that was later merged does not give rise to a risk of recurrence for the legal successor, regardless of whether the infringement was committed personally by the legal predecessor or by its employees. Nor does a so-called \u201crisk of a first-time violation\u201d\u2014that is, concrete indications that a violation is about to occur for the first time\u2014arise solely as a result of the merger.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group v4-pattern-general-quote-box has-kpw-yellow-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70)\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The risk of recurrence is a factual circumstance that must be assessed based on the circumstances specific to the person against whom the claim is made.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dissolved company could not, therefore, simply pass on its liability to the successor company. Consumer advocates had further argued that the new company was continuing the contested practice unchanged, but their argument was unsuccessful. The Federal Court of Justice deemed this to be a new, separate issue of dispute based on the new company\u2019s own conduct, which cannot be raised for the first time before the Federal Court of Justice itself. Anyone wishing to allege misconduct on the part of the new company must assert this in a separate, new proceeding.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-bleibt-die-frage-zur-vertragszusammenfassung-offen\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Does the question regarding the consolidation of contracts remain open?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, and that is important for practical classification purposes. The Federal Court of Justice expressly did not rule on whether a bundled offer consisting of an Internet plan and a television access service actually requires a single contract summary, as provided for by the disclosure requirements under telecommunications law and a Europe-wide standard form template for such summaries. It states that it can be left open whether the appellate court was correct in affirming a claim in this regard. This question thus remains at the level of the Munich Higher Regional Court and is still unresolved by the highest court.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-fazit\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns v4-pattern-text-copy-half-col is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-f56f613f wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The decision upholds a long-established principle in <a href=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/rechtsgebiet\/wettbewerbsrecht\/\" data-type=\"rechtsgebiet\" data-id=\"197\">competition law<\/a>, according to which the risk of repetition remains tied to the identity of the infringer. This outcome comes as no surprise to those familiar with previous case law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For companies planning a takeover or facing a takeover themselves, this is good news\u2014but it\u2019s not something they should rest on their laurels about. Those who continue the contested practice unchanged will quickly find themselves at risk of a repeat offense\u2014only this time in a new proceeding involving a new point of contention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From a consumer protection perspective, it remains an open question whether this outcome is in fact appropriate in rapidly changing corporate structures. If a corporate group promptly merges a subsidiary\u2014against which an injunction proceeding is pending\u2014into another group company, the plaintiff must effectively start from scratch, even if the practice in question has not changed. The Federal Court of Justice itself points to this possibility by expressly leaving open whether the new company has committed a separate violation, yet requiring a new proceeding in such cases.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80)\">\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide v4-pattern-cta-box has-secondary-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0c8cea62 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-top:0;padding-right:0;padding-bottom:0\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns alignwide are-vertically-aligned-top v4-pattern-cta-box__columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-71c143ff wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top v4-pattern-cta-box__columns-column is-layout-flow wp-container-core-column-is-layout-fb77afb0 wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:0;flex-basis:60%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-right is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-1931a79c wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\r\n<div id=\"multirow-headline-block_0b6d5763c063505ffa5b3cc105868b67\" class=\"wp-block-visual4-multirow-headline alignwide\">\r\n    <div class=\"wp-block-visual4-multirow-headline\">\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-huge-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0%;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:normal;font-weight:1000;line-height:1;text-transform:uppercase\">We\u2019d be happy to<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-x-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-right:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:8%;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:normal;font-weight:1000;line-height:0.9;text-transform:uppercase\">you on<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-huge-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-right:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0%;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:normal;font-weight:1000;line-height:0.9;text-transform:uppercase\">Competition law!<\/p>\n\n<\/div> \r\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-9da75b5c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\">\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-visual4-contact-modal__button\">\r\n            \r\n        <div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\r\n            \r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-button v4-contact-modal-button is-style-fill\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600\" data-form-id=\"8\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-contrast-color has-base-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\">Contact Form<\/a><\/div>\r\n\r\n        <\/div>\r\n        \r\n    <\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-style-mobile-only is-content-justification-left is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-a768b15a wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-arrow is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-base-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"tel:4971141019030\" style=\"padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);font-style:normal;font-weight:600\">Call now!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top v4-pattern-cta-box__columns-column v4-pattern-cta-box__columns-column--image is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:40%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full v4-pattern-cta-box__columns-column__image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/themes\/kpw-law\/assets\/samples\/person-cropped.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23155\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to the Federal Court of Justice (BGH), following a merger, the acquiring company is not automatically liable for the risk of recurrence associated with its defunct predecessor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4904],"tags":[6609,6607,6604,6608],"thema":[],"rechtsgebiet":[4987],"produkt":[],"class_list":["post-35858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-telekommunikationsanbieter","tag-verschmelzung","tag-vzbv","tag-wiederholungsgefahr","rechtsgebiet-competition-law"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.1 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Federal Court of Justice: Risk of Recidivism Following a Merger<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"According to the Federal Court of Justice (BGH), following a merger, the acquiring company is not automatically liable for the risk of recurrence associated with its defunct predecessor.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Risk of Recurrence Following a Merger\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"According to the Federal Court of Justice (BGH), following a merger, the acquiring company is not automatically liable for the risk of recurrence associated with its defunct predecessor.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"KPW Rechtsanw\u00e4lte und Fachanw\u00e4lte\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-31T06:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-31T14:50:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Branchen-scaled.avif\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Clemens Pfitzer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@clemenspfitzer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Clemens Pfitzer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Clemens Pfitzer\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bb7a5be61de17c2c027e254e249214bd\"},\"headline\":\"Risk of Recurrence Following a Merger\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-31T06:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-31T14:50:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1001,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/Wiederholungsgefahr-nach-Verschmelzung-1024x576.avif\",\"keywords\":[\"Telekommunikationsanbieter\",\"Verschmelzung\",\"vzbv\",\"Wiederholungsgefahr\"],\"articleSection\":[\"General\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\\\/\",\"name\":\"Federal Court of Justice: Risk of Recidivism Following a Merger\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/Wiederholungsgefahr-nach-Verschmelzung-1024x576.avif\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-31T06:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-31T14:50:34+00:00\",\"description\":\"According to the Federal Court of Justice (BGH), following a merger, the acquiring company is not automatically liable for the risk of recurrence associated with its defunct predecessor.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/Wiederholungsgefahr-nach-Verschmelzung-1024x576.avif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/Wiederholungsgefahr-nach-Verschmelzung-1024x576.avif\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Risk of Recurrence Following a Merger\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"KPW PartmbB \u2013 Rechtsanw\u00e4lte und Fachanw\u00e4lte\",\"description\":\"Rechtsanw\u00e4lte f\u00fcr IP- und IT-Recht\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"kpw.law\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"KPW PartmbB\",\"alternateName\":\"KPW\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/KPW400x400.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/KPW400x400.jpg\",\"width\":400,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"KPW PartmbB\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/kpw\"],\"description\":\"KPW ist eine auf IP und IT-Recht spezialisierte Kanzlei mit Rechts- und Fachanw\u00e4lten in Stuttgart. KPW ber\u00e4t Unternehmen in den Bereichen Wettbewerbsrecht, Markenrecht, Designrecht, Urheberrecht, IT-Recht, Patentrecht, Datenschutzrecht, E-Commerce und Know-How-Schutz.\",\"email\":\"info@kpw.law\",\"telephone\":\"+4971141019030\",\"legalName\":\"KPW PartmbB\",\"foundingDate\":\"2010-04-01\",\"vatID\":\"DE270757792\",\"duns\":\"341580247\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"1\",\"maxValue\":\"10\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bb7a5be61de17c2c027e254e249214bd\",\"name\":\"Clemens Pfitzer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dc1ba1c2897d08484345b3e1c9524bf03ed6b3ef6bf06ef8b3f8811c1fb6c38e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dc1ba1c2897d08484345b3e1c9524bf03ed6b3ef6bf06ef8b3f8811c1fb6c38e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dc1ba1c2897d08484345b3e1c9524bf03ed6b3ef6bf06ef8b3f8811c1fb6c38e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Clemens Pfitzer\"},\"description\":\"Rechtsanwalt, Fachanwalt f\u00fcr gewerblichen Rechtsschutz und Fachanwalt f\u00fcr IT-Recht, t\u00e4tig in den Bereichen Markenrecht, Wettbewerbsrecht, Urheberrecht, Designrecht, Know-How-Schutz, Patentrecht, IT-Recht, E-Commerce, Datenschutz\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/kpw.law\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/pfitzer\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/clemenspfitzer\"],\"gender\":\"m\u00e4nnlich\",\"knowsAbout\":[\"Markenrecht\",\"Wettbewerbsrecht\",\"Designrecht\",\"Urheberrecht\",\"E-Commerce\",\"Datenschutzrecht\",\"Patentrecht\",\"IT-Recht\",\"Softwarelizenzen\",\"Gesch\u00e4ftsgeheimnisse\"],\"knowsLanguage\":[\"Englisch\",\"Deutsch\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Rechtsanwalt, Fachanwalt f\u00fcr gewerblichen Rechtsschutz, Fachanwalt f\u00fcr IT-Recht\",\"worksFor\":\"KPW PartmbB\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Federal Court of Justice: Risk of Recidivism Following a Merger","description":"According to the Federal Court of Justice (BGH), following a merger, the acquiring company is not automatically liable for the risk of recurrence associated with its defunct predecessor.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Risk of Recurrence Following a Merger","og_description":"According to the Federal Court of Justice (BGH), following a merger, the acquiring company is not automatically liable for the risk of recurrence associated with its defunct predecessor.","og_url":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\/","og_site_name":"KPW Rechtsanw\u00e4lte und Fachanw\u00e4lte","article_published_time":"2026-08-31T06:30:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-31T14:50:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1440,"url":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Branchen-scaled.avif","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Clemens Pfitzer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@clemenspfitzer","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Clemens Pfitzer","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\/"},"author":{"name":"Clemens Pfitzer","@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/bb7a5be61de17c2c027e254e249214bd"},"headline":"Risk of Recurrence Following a Merger","datePublished":"2026-08-31T06:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-31T14:50:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\/"},"wordCount":1001,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Wiederholungsgefahr-nach-Verschmelzung-1024x576.avif","keywords":["Telekommunikationsanbieter","Verschmelzung","vzbv","Wiederholungsgefahr"],"articleSection":["General"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\/","url":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\/","name":"Federal Court of Justice: Risk of Recidivism Following a Merger","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Wiederholungsgefahr-nach-Verschmelzung-1024x576.avif","datePublished":"2026-08-31T06:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-31T14:50:34+00:00","description":"According to the Federal Court of Justice (BGH), following a merger, the acquiring company is not automatically liable for the risk of recurrence associated with its defunct predecessor.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Wiederholungsgefahr-nach-Verschmelzung-1024x576.avif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Wiederholungsgefahr-nach-Verschmelzung-1024x576.avif"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/risk-of-recurrence-following-a-merger\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Risk of Recurrence Following a Merger"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/","name":"KPW PartmbB \u2013 Rechtsanw\u00e4lte und Fachanw\u00e4lte","description":"Rechtsanw\u00e4lte f\u00fcr IP- und IT-Recht","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/#organization"},"alternateName":"kpw.law","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/#organization","name":"KPW PartmbB","alternateName":"KPW","url":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/KPW400x400.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/KPW400x400.jpg","width":400,"height":400,"caption":"KPW PartmbB"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/kpw"],"description":"KPW ist eine auf IP und IT-Recht spezialisierte Kanzlei mit Rechts- und Fachanw\u00e4lten in Stuttgart. KPW ber\u00e4t Unternehmen in den Bereichen Wettbewerbsrecht, Markenrecht, Designrecht, Urheberrecht, IT-Recht, Patentrecht, Datenschutzrecht, E-Commerce und Know-How-Schutz.","email":"info@kpw.law","telephone":"+4971141019030","legalName":"KPW PartmbB","foundingDate":"2010-04-01","vatID":"DE270757792","duns":"341580247","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"1","maxValue":"10"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/bb7a5be61de17c2c027e254e249214bd","name":"Clemens Pfitzer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1ba1c2897d08484345b3e1c9524bf03ed6b3ef6bf06ef8b3f8811c1fb6c38e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1ba1c2897d08484345b3e1c9524bf03ed6b3ef6bf06ef8b3f8811c1fb6c38e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1ba1c2897d08484345b3e1c9524bf03ed6b3ef6bf06ef8b3f8811c1fb6c38e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Clemens Pfitzer"},"description":"Rechtsanwalt, Fachanwalt f\u00fcr gewerblichen Rechtsschutz und Fachanwalt f\u00fcr IT-Recht, t\u00e4tig in den Bereichen Markenrecht, Wettbewerbsrecht, Urheberrecht, Designrecht, Know-How-Schutz, Patentrecht, IT-Recht, E-Commerce, Datenschutz","sameAs":["https:\/\/kpw.law","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/pfitzer\/","https:\/\/x.com\/clemenspfitzer"],"gender":"m\u00e4nnlich","knowsAbout":["Markenrecht","Wettbewerbsrecht","Designrecht","Urheberrecht","E-Commerce","Datenschutzrecht","Patentrecht","IT-Recht","Softwarelizenzen","Gesch\u00e4ftsgeheimnisse"],"knowsLanguage":["Englisch","Deutsch"],"jobTitle":"Rechtsanwalt, Fachanwalt f\u00fcr gewerblichen Rechtsschutz, Fachanwalt f\u00fcr IT-Recht","worksFor":"KPW PartmbB"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35858"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36081,"href":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35858\/revisions\/36081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35858"},{"taxonomy":"thema","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/thema?post=35858"},{"taxonomy":"rechtsgebiet","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rechtsgebiet?post=35858"},{"taxonomy":"produkt","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/produkt?post=35858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}