In the recent case filed by the famous sports car designer,
Erwin Franz Komenda's daughter claiming compensation from
Porsche AG on the grounds of the continued sale of sports cars
designed by the company by adding modifications to her father's
design has been rejected by the Regional Court of Stuttgart.
The daughter, claimed a fair compensation for the copyright for
the merits of her father's work (claim basis: Art. 32a
UrhG)1, as a legal successor of her father. The
provision (Article 32a) provides for additional fairness
compensation in cases where the initial compensation to the author
has become inappropriate compared to the overall revenue generated
by such work.
Erwin Franz Komenda was employed by the defendant (Porsche AG)
from 1931-1966. As an employee under the body-construction
department, he played a vital role in the development of the sports
car models 356 and 911 of the defendant, as they were marketed in
the 50s and 60s for the first time.2