Key legal question
Whether the merger and subsequent spin-off caused a procedural party change requiring the defendant's consent.
Extracted holding
No. The merger and the spin-off were treated as universal succession under the Fusionsgesetz and did not amount to a party change; the successor company could continue as claimant.
Extracted reasoning
A merger transfers all assets and liabilities by operation of law. A spin-off likewise effects a universal succession, limited only in scope, not in legal effect. Therefore, succession does not depend on the opponent's consent.