Teaching

21101
Introductory Course in the German Civil Code (BGB) II -> Information in the course catalogue (external link, opens in a new window)

21333
Civil Law Examination Preparation Course (Fritzsche/Nußstein/Wankerl) -> Information in the course catalogue (external link, opens in a new window)

21675
Seminar: “Current Issues in Digitalisation in Intellectual Property, Contract and Competition Law” → See the course catalogue for details (external link, opens in a new window)

21100w
Revision conversation session on the BGB II course → See the course catalogue for details (external link, opens in a new window)

21100b

→ Literature, databases and AI in law studies (external link, opens in a new window)

21102

→ Law of Obligations I: Contractual Obligations – Lecture (external link, opens in a new window) (Bauermeister/Fritzsche)

21103b

KÜ Law of Obligations I and II ( Reutter/Harrieder/Basche/Lohr)

Information -> here (external link, opens in a new window)

21333

Civil Law Exam Preparation Course ( Fritzsche/Wankerl) -> more (external link, opens in a new window)

21670

→ Intellectual Property Law – Lecture: (external link, opens in a new window) ‘ ’ (Bernzen/Fritzsche)

21690

→ Law of Unfair Competition – Lecture (external link, opens in a new window)

21675

→ Between Bits and Bytes – Seminar (external link, opens in a new window) (Bernzen/Fritzsche)

21749

Contract Drafting ( Walz)

This course focuses on how contracts based on German law should be drafted in English -> more (external link, opens in a new window)

When completing the homework, seminar assignments and course projects, as well as Bachelor’s and Master’s theses, set by the department, please follow the guidelines available below.

General principles and rules for all types of work

Below you will find the basic rules of academic integrity adopted by the Faculty Council, which must always be observed in all academic work – including assignments:

Basic rules of academic integrity

You will also find the guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence here.

In order to comply with these basic rules, it is of fundamental importance for course assignments, seminar papers and term papers to be familiar with and adhere to the rules applicable in law regarding the formatting of the bibliography, on the one hand , and the corresponding source citations in the footnotes , on the other. Both are explained in the following document for all types of work:

The formatting of bibliographies and source references in footnotes (including AI guidelines) (opens in a new window). (This PDF is not accessible)

Guidance on term papers in civil law

In term papers on civil law, you must resolve a ‘case’ in a legal opinion. The following guidelines explain what else needs to be taken into account when writing such a term paper, beyond the ‘principles’ outlined above and the rules for bibliographies and source references. The summary covers all the essentials, whilst the detailed guide (also) answers numerous specific questions that have been raised by students over the years.

Brief guide to legal assignments (opens in a new window). (This PDF is not accessible)

Detailed Guide to Legal Assignments (opens in a new window). (This PDF is not accessible)

Guidance on seminar papers, research projects and related presentations

Seminar papers and course papers are not about solving a case, but about writing an academic essay on a topic. Please refer to the guidance below for information on what to bear in mind regarding the ‘principles’ set out above and the rules for bibliographies and citations. It also includes a few tips on the presentations accompanying these papers.

Guidance on writing seminar papers and research projects (opens in a new window). (This PDF is not accessible)

Guidance on Bachelor’s and Master’s theses

These theses differ from seminar papers and student research projects only in terms of length. The guidelines above (and the general principles and rules) also apply to them.

The seminars are primarily aimed at students in Specialisation Area 9; further information can be found under ‘Specialisation Area 9’.

The Chair’s seminars are generally (depending on the overarching topic) also suitable for Specialisation Area 7 and the DIGLAW06 module in the LL.B. Digital Law programme.

To attend a seminar, you must register via FlexNow; this must be done at the start of the lecture period for the seminar in the following semester (for general information, see the Faculty homepage – Specialisation Areas).

The seminars always cover the material from lectures in Semester 9, which may also form part of Semester 7 and/or the LL.B. programme. Each participant is assigned a topic relevant to their chosen semester (or the LL.B. programme). To undertake the term paper, you should have previously attended the lectures on intellectual property law and competition law, or at least worked through a textbook on these subjects.

For an initial ‘preparatory’ seminar session, topics will be assigned that can be tackled without prior knowledge of the subject matter covered in Semester 9 (etc.), i.e. mostly from the Civil Code (BGB) or the Commercial Code (HGB). During the preliminary discussion prior to the seminar, students should, if necessary, point out that they lack prior knowledge.

In the winter semester 2026/27, a block seminar will be held in collaboration with lawyer and Assistant Professor Dr Anna Bernzen on the overarching theme “Between Beats and Bytes: Music Law in the Digital Age”. Topics will be drawn from specialisation areas 7 and 9 as well as the LL.B. Digital Law, namely intellectual property, in particular copyright and copyright contract law, as well as possibly competition law; for preparatory work, there are topics from contract law that can be tackled without specialist knowledge. The block seminar will take place at the end of January 2027 on a Friday and Saturday (with arrival on Thursday) at Universal Music Group in Berlin – travel costs can be covered thanks to funding from the → Hanns-Martin Schleyer Foundation.

- The preliminary meeting for the winter semester 26/27 seminar is expected to take place on 13 July 2026 at 6.00 pm sharp via Zoom; registered students will be invited by email. Anyone who becomes interested at a later date should please send an → email to (opens your email program) Fritzsche.Lehrstuhl(at)ur.de (opens your email program) (opens your email program) in advance. (opens your email program)
To gain access to the topics and timetable, which may only be made available from the end of September 2026, please enrol in the GRIPS course “Seminar” for the winter semester 2026/27.

In the summer term 2026, Prof. Fritzsche will be offering a seminar on the overarching theme “Current Issues in Digitalisation within Intellectual Property, Consumer and Competition Law”, covering topics for specialisation areas 7 and 9 and the LL.B. in Digital Law. A preliminary meeting will take place via Zoom in late January or early February. Registered students will be informed of the date by email.

In the summer semester of 2027, Assistant Professor Dr Tabea Bauermeister will be offering a seminar for Specialisation Area 9 and the DIGLAW06 module.

Please refer to the information in the ‘Guidance’ section regarding seminar participation.

PhD Colloquium

The Chair’s doctoral colloquium takes place as required by the doctoral candidates. Further information can be found -> under ‘Doctoral Studies’ on the Prof. Fritzsche Chair’s website or in the -> Course Catalogue (SPUR) under ‘State Examination Programmes – Law – Seminars/Doctoral Colloquia’. The next colloquium is scheduled for 16 October 2026 at the Haus der Begegnung.

Focus Area 9: Intellectual Property, Competition and Digitalisation

Priority Area 9 focuses on the topics of intellectual property, competition and digitalisation. Further information on these topics and on the courses offered under PA 9 can be found in the following document.

Intellectual Property, Competition and Digitalisation (opens in a new window). (This PDF is not accessible) (PDF)

PLEASE NOTE:

On Thursday 16 April, starting at 2.00 pm sharp, a brief information session on Focus Area 9 will take place in VG 0.05 for new students and anyone interested.

Oral examinations in the specialisation areas

The examination syllabus always comprises all (and only) the subjects specified in the study plan for the specialisation area. The study plans can be found on the Faculty website under ‘Studying’ – ‘Specialisation Areas’.

To prepare for the examination in Competition Law and Intellectual Property, you should download the materials posted on GRIPS (latest version) and use a textbook as a supplementary resource. You should also keep an eye out for current topics relating to the respective subject. To do this, you can search in juris for (e.g.) ‘UrhG’ plus ‘ECJ’ and ‘BGH’.

Note on the former specialisation “Business Law”:

Until the summer semester of 2024, SP 9 was titled ‘Business Law’ and covered different content. Students still studying under the old version of SP 9 will find the subjects relevant to the examination → old version of the specialisation study plan; these are still listed in the course catalogue.