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Two brothers in Germany have pleaded guilty mid-trial to breaching EU sanctions against Russia by shipping engineering and industrial equipment valued at €830,000 between 2023 and 2024. As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, both defendants have accepted four-year custodial sentences, with the court's verdict still pending while their father faces separate prosecution for related offenses.

The Unified Patent Court has now processed hundreds of cases since opening in 2023, revealing emerging patterns in litigation success rates, procedural timelines, and forum preferences.

Germany has enacted significant reforms to its real estate transfer tax rules for share deals, addressing the controversial issue of double taxation that previously arose when signing and closing occurred at different times. The new legislation establishes a clear hierarchy between tax provisions and extends notification periods, fundamentally changing how M&A transactions involving real estate-owning companies are taxed.