After studying law (as a scholarship holder of the Maximilianeum Foundation) in Munich and Paris, Adolf Dietz was awarded a doctorate in 1966 from the LMU Munich and completed his second state law exam in 1967. From as early as 1966 he was employed at what was then the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Patent, Copyright and Competition Law – initially as a research fellow, then, from 1972 to 1978, as Head of Department, and finally, up until his retirement in 2001, as Research Group Leader in the Copyright Department. As a student of Eugen Ulmer, he not only contributed to copyright research at the Institute but also established the departments of Eastern European Law and Chinese Law, which he headed for many years.
His exceptional linguistic talent and his ability to grasp foreign legal systems and cultures in depth made Adolf Dietz one of the foremost comparative legal scholars in his field. His works range from his doctoral thesis on German and French droit moral (1968) to a study of Hungarian patent law (1976), an essay on copyright and developing countries (1981) and a volume on the reform of industrial property law in China (1988), and to his commentary on moral rights (1987/1999). Of particular significance is his pioneering work on copyright law in the European Community, which remains the basis for European harmonization efforts to this day. His particular focus on the interests of creative professionals has also earned him distinction.
Beyond his own academic work, Adolf Dietz has raised the Institute’s international profile: through his many years of service as an expert for the European Commission, the establishment of cooperation with the Chinese Patent and Copyright Office, and his involvement as President of the German National Group and Vice-President of the Association Littéraire et Artistique Internationale (ALAI). As an expert in German, European and international copyright law, as well as in intellectual property law in Central and Eastern Europe and the People’s Republic of China, he has published numerous books and articles and has received the title of honorary professor in both Germany and China.
His work has been recognized with numerous awards: in 1996 with an honorary doctorate from the Catholic University of Brussels, in 2002 with the Grand Cross of Merit of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany; and most recently, in March 2025, with the inaugural Jan Löwenbach Prize, awarded by the ALAI Czech National Group in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the German-Czech dialogue on copyright law.
Even after his retirement, Adolf Dietz remained closely associated with the Institute as an Affiliated Research Fellow; he continues to contribute to academic exchange to this day. Generations of staff and scholarship holders from all over the world have benefited from his guidance, his collegiality and his open-mindedness.
On the occasion of his 90th birthday, we wholeheartedly wish Adolf Dietz good health, well-being and continued enjoyment of his academic pursuits.
