Overview
- The first civil senate in Karlsruhe heard arguments on Thursday and will issue its written ruling in the coming weeks under case number I ZR 41/24.
- Maike Kohl-Richter seeks broader bans on disputed excerpts and profit information from author Heribert Schwan as well as from the publisher.
- The Cologne Higher Regional Court ruled in 2024 that Schwan must disclose his gains but the publisher need not, while prohibiting some passages and permitting others.
- Presiding judge Thomas Koch noted the need to assess the clarity of Schwan’s confidentiality duties as Kohl’s ghostwriter and to address potential inconsistencies in the appellate ruling.
- The dispute traces to a 2014 bestseller by Schwan and the late Tilman Jens drawn from about 630 hours of recorded talks; earlier courts barred some quotes and once awarded Kohl €1 million, a sum that did not transfer to his widow.