The UWG and the warning letter
Germany's Act against Unfair Competition (UWG) bans misleading claims and disguised advertising, and it is enforced mostly privately. Competitors, trade associations such as the Wettbewerbszentrale and consumer bodies send an Abmahnung, a formal warning that demands a signed cease-and-desist undertaking backed by a contractual penalty, and courts can grant preliminary injunctions within days. One generated variant with a claim the brand cannot prove is enough to start that process. Green claims are a known risk: in June 2024 the Federal Court of Justice held that 'klimaneutral' must be explained in the ad itself. Austria and Switzerland have their own unfair competition acts, and self-regulatory councils in all three countries handle complaints about taste and decency.
Sie or du, and which German
Every German-language brand has to choose between the formal Sie and the familiar du. Many consumer, fashion and tech brands use du; banks, insurers and most B2B companies stay with Sie. Mixed forms within a campaign read as careless, and generated copy slips between them unless the rule is fixed in the brief. Regional usage matters too. Austrians write Jänner for January and have their own words for everyday food; Swiss Standard German never uses ß and has its own vocabulary. Formats differ: Germany writes 1.250,00 €, Austria usually € 1.250,00, and Switzerland CHF 1'250.00. German compounds make copy longer, so layouts need room and deliberate hyphenation rather than shrinking type.
Dubbing, voices and influencer labels
Germany and Austria dub almost all foreign film and television, and audiences know the German voices of international stars by ear. Lip-synced, natural German is the expectation, and subtitles feel niche. Imitating a known dubbing voice without consent collides with the general right of personality, and section 22 of the Art Copyright Act (KUG) requires consent to publish a person's image, with courts awarding licence-fee damages for unauthorised advertising use. The media authorities' 2025 guidance says sponsored posts must be marked 'Werbung' or 'Anzeige'; 'ad' or 'sponsored by' is not enough. Label a virtual influencer's sponsored posts the same way. Synthetic White dubs into 30 languages with timing preserved, which matters in a market raised on lip-synced German.
Switzerland: its own data law and four languages
Switzerland is not in the EU. Its revised Federal Act on Data Protection has applied since 1 September 2023, overseen by the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner, and unusually its fines, up to CHF 250,000, fall mainly on responsible individuals rather than on companies. The EU AI Act does not apply directly, but Swiss companies whose AI output is used in the EU fall within it. In February 2025 the Federal Council decided to ratify the Council of Europe's AI convention and adapt Swiss law sector by sector, with a consultation draft due by the end of 2026. German, French and Italian all need their own versions, Romansh is a national language, and Swiss French and Swiss Italian differ from the varieties in France and Italy.
Updated 25 September 2026 · General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current text with your legal team before relying on it.