Software publisher SAP has been hit with a fine running into hundreds of millions of euros after being found guilty of patent infringement. The case demonstrates the extent to which SAP has for years underestimated the significance of copyright laws. more...
Karl Albrecht, the co-founder of the discount store Aldi, has died. Together with his brother Theo, who died in 2010, the two brothers will probably be remembered as the world’s most famous pair of siblings – the discount kings – by their customers. They succeeded in building up an empire of no-frills supermarkets with a limited product range and special bargains, where the rich and the poor “feel at home” – anywhere in the world. more...
There is an online reader comment about the latest espionage scandal concerning the German intelligence service employee and alleged double agent that cuts to the quick of the matter: “I can tell you that average Americans want good for all other peoples of the world.” If this had been said by the American president then the German chancellor would probably have embraced him joyfully. more...
The touchy question of whether Germany exerts a dominant hegemony over Europe is a breeding ground for prejudice. After the European elections, Scottish politician George Kerevan pronounced the winners to be not so much the British right-wing populist party UKIP but far more Angela Merkel and the “German hegemony over economic policy.” Guest author Prof. Spiridon Paraskewopoulos describes why this is not the case and how the much-vaunted German hegemony has failed on two counts. more...
The overdose of antibiotics in food animal production is considered a problem with serious repercussions. The risk of developing resistance rises each time bacteria are exposed to antimicrobials. Resistance opens the door to treatment failure and leads to an increasing number of infections. cd Vet Naturprodukte GmbH situated in Fürstenau, Germany, decided to bank on a completely different approach. The company develops and produces natural pet products based on natural ingredients that help to prevent diseases.
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