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The term "open innovation" or "open innovation" refers to the idea that it is better for the innovation process, i.e. the development of expertise, ideas, etc., to exchange ideas with other companies openly and without restrictions. This is in contrast to "closed innovation", which essentially consists of purely in-house research and development. Open innovation is often equated with a waiver of non-disclosure agreements ("NDA") and cooperation agreements. However, there are also nuances to open innovation, which are examined in more detail below.

The facts in brief: The Catholic plaintiff worked as a chief physician in a Catholic hospital. After divorcing his first wife, to whom the plaintiff was married both in church and in a civil ceremony, the plaintiff married his second wife in a civil ceremony. When the defendant became aware of the remarriage, it terminated the employment relationship with the plaintiff. In the opinion of the defendant, the plaintiff had seriously breached the loyalty obligations arising from his employment contract by entering into a marriage that was invalid under church law. In a landmark ruling, the Federal Labor Court in Erfurt has significantly limited the influence of churches on labor law. The judges ruled on Wednesday, 20.02.2019 that a Catholic hospital may not dismiss a head physician simply because he had remarried after a divorce.

The ECJ recently caused a stir with two decisions on vacation law. This is because they turn German vacation law on its head and necessitate a change in the BAG's case law.

The involvement of the representative body for severely disabled employees is based on the principles of Section 102 BetrVG. The representative body for severely disabled employees therefore does not necessarily have to be consulted prior to the procedure at the Integration Office regarding the dismissal of a severely disabled employee.

The so-called bridging part-time has cleared the final legislative hurdle. Following the Bundestag, the Bundesrat has also passed the bill to amend the Part-Time and Fixed-Term Employment Act (TzBfG). The law is therefore expected to come into force on January 1, 2019.

The employer must tolerate a strike call on his company parking lot if there is no other possibility for the union to address the employees called to strike immediately before entering the company.

On November 9, 2018, the Bundestag voted on the Nursing Staff Strengthening Act (PpSG). The law, which essentially aims to improve the situation for nursing staff in the care of the elderly and sick, also contains some interesting new regulations for home nursing care, some of which were only included in the law shortly before the end of the legislative process through amendments (Bundestag printed paper 19/5593).

The Catholic plaintiff worked as a chief physician in a Catholic hospital. After divorcing his first wife, to whom the plaintiff was married both in church and in a civil ceremony, the plaintiff married his second wife in a civil ceremony. When the defendant became aware of the remarriage, it terminated the employment relationship with the plaintiff. In the opinion of the defendant, the plaintiff had seriously breached the loyalty obligations arising from his employment contract by entering into a marriage that was invalid under church law.

According to a recent decision by the Reutlingen Social Court (decision of 13.08.2018 - S 1 KR 414/18 ER), which was obtained by VOELKER, action can be taken against false factual claims in expert reports or expert opinions by the MDK by way of an injunction.

In its judgment of 14.08.2018 - 1 AZR 287/17, the Federal Labor Court ruled that an employer on strike is generally entitled to deter its employees from participating in a strike by promising them a bonus. Although the Federal Labor Court assumes that there is unequal treatment of striking and non-striking employees, the promise of a strike-breaking bonus is a permissible means of industrial action and the unequal treatment between striking and non-striking employees is therefore justified.

The Federal Cabinet has passed a draft law on the new right to temporary part-time work (bridging part-time work). For employers with at least 45 employees, employees will in future be able to apply to their employer to reduce their working hours for a period of between one and five years. Employees on permanent part-time contracts will also be able to extend their working hours more easily in future by shifting the burden of proof to the employer.