Defamation | Competitor Fraud

If customers avoid your company, suppliers unexpectedly change payment terms, or business partners sever ties, an unscrupulous competitor could be the cause. The qualified corporate investigators of the Kurtz Detective Agency Rhine-Neckar can provide legally admissible proof of unfair competitive practices: +49 621 9535 4001.

"Envy is the sincerest form of admiration." – Wilhelm Busch

Outstanding business performance inevitably attracts envious competitors who may attempt to undermine the successful company. In the worst case, they may try to gain access to corporate secrets – for example, through eavesdropping or bribing an employee – to use the acquired information for their own business or deliberately against yours. Other competitors may actively attempt to discredit the successful company, damaging its reputation, harming client relationships, and threatening customer retention.

Our IHK-certified detectives in Mannheim can prove your competitor’s unlawful conduct through undercover interviews with customers or business partners, as well as through targeted research on the competitor. With precise documentation of the investigation results, you receive legally admissible evidence to initiate legal proceedings against the competitor and hold responsible parties accountable. We are happy to explain the case-specific options in a non-binding consultation. Contact our detective agency for Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, and the entire Rhine-Neckar region by phone or send us an email with a description of the situation at kontakt@kurtz-detektei-mannheim.de.

The Fine Line Between Unfair Competition and Criminal Offense

An entrepreneur who disparages the services of competitors, presents their personal or business affairs negatively, or actively contributes to harming the reputation of affected companies, violates §4 of the UWG (German Act Against Unfair Competition). If the envious competitor targets a specific company or individual (owner, CEO) systematically, the Criminal Code may also apply, as this constitutes deliberate defamation (§186 StGB – defamation). Penalties depend on the severity of the act: verbal disparagement can lead to imprisonment of up to one year; if the competitor publicly spreads the defamation, for example via social networks, imprisonment of up to two years is possible. However, legal consequences may provide little satisfaction to the victim, as the reputational damage and resulting loss of customers, suppliers, and business partners are often immense and not fully reversible through court judgments.

Do not hesitate to contact us immediately in cases of unexplained revenue declines (which may have other causes as well) or concrete indications of defamation. The experienced corporate investigators of the Kurtz Detective Agency Mannheim will thoroughly clarify the situation and provide you with legally admissible investigative reports, enabling you to assert your rights. For assignments or inquiries, please use our contact form or call us at +49 621 9535 4001.