Glossary of German Terms and Abbreviations

Transcription

1 List of Authors DR. MICHAEL BIHLER Attorney at Law in Munich, Germany. He provides legal representation to large international corporations and distribution companies as well as to developers and mid-sized businesses. DR. BERNARD BUECKER Attorney at Law in San Antonio, Texas. He received the Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Texas!'t Amtin, was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Heidelberg School of Law, Germany and specializies in German legal disputes. He was awarded the Service Cross of the Federal Republic of Germany in HANS J. GORISS Tax Adviser and Business Consultant in DUsseldorf, Germany. His focus is on strategic tax policy for medium-sized and multicorporate enterprises, founding of establishments, apprising of investments of capital, controlling of investments, trusteeship, consulting in regard to incentives, going public, business consulting for managing boards and stockholders. DR. MICHAEL KARGER Attorney at Law in Munich, Germany. His special areas of expertise include computer law and telecommunications law. He is a frequent lecturer on the law pertaining to the use of on-line computer services. WOLFGANG C. LEONTI Attorney at Law in Munich, Germany. His special areas of interest include IT law, industrial property rights as well as commercial and corporate law. He handels business-law cases from the U.S. ANDREAS MEISTERERNST Attorney at Law in Munich, Germany. His focus is on the drafting of contracts pertaining to the civil, commercial and corporate-law needs of his clientele. DR. REINHARD NACKE Attorney at Law and Partner in the firm of Woedtke Reszel & Partner, DUsseldorf. His special area of expertise lies in the representation of foreign and German companies in legal matters with international background, including also the representation in legal disputes in and out of court or arbitration tribunals.

2 328 List of Authors DR. EUGEN POPP Educated at the Technical University of Munich and Ludwig Maximilians-University of Munich, he is a senior partner in the firm of Meissner, Bolte & Partner, Munich. His involvement in the wider interests of the profession recently were recognized as he was elected Vice President of the German Patent Attorneys' Bar Association. He was the former President of the Bavarian Association of Patent Attorneys. He is also Secretary General of the European wide Committee of National Institutes of Patent Agents. KAY RUPPRECHT European and German Patent and Trademark Attorney in Munich, Germany - Partner in the Intellectual Property Firm of Meisser, Bolte & Partner, Munich. He specializes in the prosecution and litigation of German, European and International (PCT-) patent and trademark applications and their registrations. WOLF D. SCHENK Attorney at Law in Munich, Germany. His areas of special legal expertise include collective bargaining and individual labor law; industrial property and copyright law; drafting of corporate contracts, especially in regard to tax issues. DR. BERND TREMML Attorney at Law in Munich, Germany - Senior partner in the law finn Wendler Tremml. He has many years of experience in the representation of foreign clients who wish to establish a subsidiary or purchase a business in Germany or in other European countries. Bernd Tremml is admitted to the Bar of the State of Texas as Foreign Legal Consultant. RAIMUND E. WALCH Attorney at Law in Berlin, Germany. His special areas of expertise include IT law, commercial and corporate law and private construction law. MICHAEL WENDLER Attorney at Law in Dlisseldort: Germany - Senior partner in the law firm Wendler Tremml. His primary focus is on the provision of legal representation to German corporations that operate globally and to foreign companies and associations concerning their business activities in Germany. CHRISTIAN R. WOLF Notar in Kleve, Germany - Educated at the Ludwigs-Maximilians University of Munich and the University of Freiburg. He specializes in corporate law and international business transactions, and in particular the formation and merger of business enterprises.

3 Glossary of German Terms and Abbreviations Angestellte Aktiengesellschaft (AG) Aktiengesetz (AktG) Aktionar Aktie Arbeiter Arbeitserlaubnis Arbeitserlaubnisverordnung (AEVO) ArbeitsfOrderungsgesetz (AFG) Arrest A ufenthaltsbefugnis Au fenthalts berechtigung Aufenthaltsbewilligung Aufenthaltserlaubnis Aufsichtsrat Auslander Auslandergesetz (AuslG) Auslanderamt AuBenministerium employees; salary earners; "white collar" workers stock corporation Stock Corporation Act stockholder (of a stock corporation) a share of stock; stock certificate laborers; "blue collar" workers work permit Work Permit Regulations Work Promotion Act Freeze Order Authorized residence residence entitlement residence grant residence permit supervisory board of a company or corporation foreigner; alien Foreigners Act Foreign Nationals Authority Department of Foreign Affairs

4 330 Glossary of German Terms and Abbreviations Betriebsaufgabe Betriebsrat Betriebsverfassungsgesetz (BetrVG) Bezirk BGB-Gesellschaft Bilanzrichtliniengesetz Bundesanstalt fur Arbeit Bundesarbeitsgericht Bundesministerium flir Arbeit und Sozialordnung Bundesfinanzhof Bundesgerichtshof Bundeskartellamt Bundesrechtsanwaltsgeblihrenordnung (BRA GO) Blirgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB) Bundesverfassungsgericht Bundesurlaubsgesetz (Burl G) mming authorities administrative authorities in charge of providing social insurance due to occupational accidents abandonment of a business enterprise works council Employee Representation Law district see Gesellschaft des blirgerlichen Rechts Accounting Directives Act Federal Labor Office Federal Labor Court Federal Department of Labor and Social Order Federal Finance Court Federal Supreme Court Federal Cartel Authority Attorneys' Fee Ordinance Civil Code Federal Constitutional Court Vacation Act Deutscher Deutsche Bundesbank Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB) Duldung Durchfi.ihrungsverordnung zum Auslandergesetz (DV AuslG) CIVil Servants' Union Federal Reseve Bank of Germany German Association of Industrial Labor Unions residence toleration Implementation Ordinance of the Foreigners Act (EGBGB) Einkommenssteuer Einkommenssteuergesetz Einzelunternehmen Entscheidungen des Bundesgerichtshofs in Zivilsachen (BGHZ) personal income tax Income Tax Act sole proprietorship Decisions of the Federal Court for Civil Cases

5 Glossary of German Terms and Abbreviations 331 Europaisches Patentamt European Patent Office Gesamthandsvermogen Gesellschaft des biirgerlichen Rechts (GbR) Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung (GmbH) Gesellschafter Gesellschafterversammlung Gesellschaftsvertrag Gesetz Gesetz gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb (UWG) Gesetz zur Regelung des Rechts der Allgemeinen Geschaftsbedingungen (AGBG) Gewerbeaufsichtsamt Gewerbeordnung (GewO) Gewerbesteuer GmbH &Co KG GmbH-Gesetz (GmbHG) Grundsatze ordnungsgemasser BuchfUhrung Grundsteuer combined or overall works council (of more than one business unit) joint ownership (of the property of a pmtnership) (also: BGB-Gesellschaft) civil-law pmtnership limited liability company shareholder (in a limited liability company) shareholder meeting (limited liability company) articles of incorporation law or act Unfair Competition Act Law for the Regulation of Standard Business Terms Trade Supervision Office Trade Supervision Law business tax business organizational form which is a combination of a limited liability company and a limited partnership GmbH Act (the law governing limited liability companies) principles of proper accounting real-estate tax commercial trade enterprise (owned and operated by individuals who are

6 332 Glossary of German Terms and Abbreviations Handelsregister Handlungsvollmacht (see also: Prokura) Hauptflirsorgestelle Hauptversammlung merchants by profession). Governed by the HGB. commercial register full power of attorney (to represent an enterprise) Head Office for Public Assistance stockholder meeting (stock corporation) I nteressenausgleich bearer stock certificate Insolvency Act compromise on issues of disagreement involving conflicting interests (for example, of employers and employees) Kaufmann Kommanditgesellschaft (KG) Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien (KGaA) Kommanditist Komplementar Konkurs Kostenordnung (KostO) Korperschaftssteuer Klindigungsschutzgesetz (KSchG) partnership in its fiscal balance (as opposed to using the purchase price as the means of measure). merchant limited partnership (for merchants) limited partnership combined with stock limited partner (in a Kommanditgesellschaft) general partner; personally liable partner (in a Kommanditgesellschaft) bankruptcy Cost Regulation (for notary fees) corporate income tax Termination Protection Act

7 Glossary of German Terms and Abbreviations 333 Lohnfortzahlungsgesetz Lohnsteuer employees (with the ability to hire and fire); literally: leading employees Continued Payment of Wages Act wage tax Mehrwertsteuergesetz (MwStG) Minderkaufmann Mitbestimmungsgesetz (MitbestG) Montan-Mitbestimmungsgesetz M uttersch utzgesetz summary proceeding for debt collection Trademark Act (MwSt) (also: Umsatzsteuer) valueadded tax (VAT) Value-Added Tax Act small merchant Co-Determination Law enabling employee representation in a company's management Coal-and-Steel Co-Determination Law Working Mothers Protection Act Offene Handelsgesellschaft (OHG) Oberlandesgericht general partnership (for merchants) Court of Appeals Schachtelbeteiligung Selbstbelieferung So I idaritatszuschlag Stammaktie articles of incorporation of a stock corporation intercorporate participation; mutual stockholding the ability to procure goods oneself solidarity contribution common stock

8 334 Glossary of German Terms and Abbreviations Stammkapital Steuer Steuerberater Stille Gesellschaft Stuttgarter Verfahren nominal capital of a business enterprise tax tax advisor silent or dormant partnership Stuttgart Procedure (a way of assessing the value of a business, which was once the standard procedure in Germany but has recently fallen out of use due to its inaccuracy pitfalls) Umwandlung Urhebergesetz (UrhG) value-added tax (VA tax. transformation of a business enterprise from one organizational form to another Copyright Act Verschmelzung Verschmelzung durch Aufnahme Verschmelzung durch Neubildung Vorschu/3 Vorstand Vorzugsaktien W/X/Y/Z Witischaftsprlifer Zweigniederlassung transfer of corporate assets and liabilities into public ownership corporate merger take over; a merger with at least one other company consolidation of one corporation with another for the purpose of forming an entirely new corporation retainer board of management preferred stock certified public accountant (CPA) branch office