LAW | Unfair Competition Law – Conference in Honour of Justice Vogel

On 19 February 2026, the Faculty of Law hosted the symposium The Development of Unfair Competition Law through the Case Law of the Austrian Supreme Court – Retrospective and Outlook. The event honoured Justice Manfred Vogel, former Presiding Judge of the Austrian Supreme Court of Justice and long-standing lecturer in competition law at SFU.

The symposium brought together distinguished scholars, members of the judiciary, and legal practitioners from Austria and Germany to reflect on the development of Austrian unfair competition law.

Dr. Erich Schwarzenbacher (Presiding Judge of the Austrian Supreme Court of Justice) discussed the protection of trademarks and commercial designations in the Court’s case law, while Prof. Thomas Koch (German Federal Court of Justice) examined Austrian jurisprudence from a comparative perspective with the case law of the German Federal Court of Justice. Mag. Sylvia Waldstätten (Court Counselor, Austrian Supreme Court of Justice) addressed emerging challenges in unfair competition law, including greenwashing and shrinkflation.

Further presentations focused on trade secrets and whistleblowing (Prof. Elke Heinrich-Pendl), conflict-of-law issues in competition and copyright law (Prof. Michel Walter), and the practical enforceability of the Austrian Unfair Competition Act (Dr. Marcella Prunbauer).

Through keynote presentations and panel discussions, the symposium offered valuable insights into current developments and future challenges in unfair competition law. An interdisciplinary practice panel also addressed questions of AI governance, focusing in particular on strategies to minimise liability risks and potential sanctions.