Introduction Digital transformation has gained traction in recent years and affects employment relationships more than ever. The emergence of the so-called platform economy is certainly the epitome of this development. However, new technologies and methods of collaboration also need to comply with legal requirements. At the end of 2020, the Federal Labour Court (FLC) likely turned the platform business model upside down, when the judges decided that a crowdworker using a platform’s app on a…
In Part 3 of our blog articles series on Key Employment Law Topics in Video Games M&A (see part 1 here and part 2 here) we will conclude the series by focusing on the regulatory and employment law environment in Germany with respect to the use of external workforce. Misclassification risks are the most common employment law-related “red flags” in video game transactions. Therefore, it is of vital importance to understand the legal consequences of…
I. Introduction In part two of our series of blog articles on Key Employment Law Topics in Video Games M&A (see part 1 here), we will focus on the working time of employees in tech companies and video game developers, and in particular on so called “crunch.” II. Crunch Covid-19 – Delays of game publication may lead to intensified crunch times after the pandemic has eased. What does crunch mean? The Cambridge Dictionary defines crunch…
Introduction Now more than ever, the pandemic has underscored how the availability of healthy and motivated employees is essential to the success of a business. This is even more true for tech companies like software and video game developers who rely heavily on the talent of their employees in all areas to make the product successful. Employee engagement, physical and mental health, and strong performance should thus be a top priority for a buyer or…