Conflict between FCI/VDH and WUSV clubs 

Clarification on the outcome of the court proceedings in Germany: 

The SV and the non-FCI WUSV clubs won in substance all legal proceedings in Germany. The courts stressed unequivocally that FCI and VDH violated competition law by implementing illegal and anti-competitive rules. As a result, FCI and VDH were forced to change these rules. Claims by FCI and VDH that they won these proceedings are simply wrong. 

The courts ruled: 

SV judges are allowed to judge at events organized by non-FCI clubs. The FCI/VDH instruction to SV to prevent its judges from judging at non-FCI events was illegal. The underlying FCI/VDH rules are null and void and must not be implemented. 

SV is allowed to include non-FCI members of German Shepherds in its studbook provided, of course, that these dogs fulfil SV’s strict criteria for pedigree dogs. The underlying FCI/VDH rules are null and void and must not be implemented. Breeders, their dogs, and their offspring from non-FCI clubs must not be discriminated against. 

Background: 

FCI and VDH seem to have trouble in accepting that they lost the “judges’ embargo” case and the studbook case. However, the judgments and their consequences are clear: 

• There must not be any restrictions on SV judges when judging at non-FCI events. They are allowed to judge at non-FCI events and to issue the relevant judgments. 

• SV must not be prohibited from entering non-FCI dogs in its studbook. Rather, the courts consider such a prohibition to be a "by object" restriction and thus a particularly serious restriction of competition. It is illegal that breeders from non-VDH/FCI worldwide have not been able to register their German Shepherds in the respective studbooks, even if their dogs meet the strict SV requirements and they are just as purebred as dogs with VDH-FCI-recognized pedigrees. 

• Breeders, their dogs, and their offspring from non-FCI clubs may not be discriminated against. 

Non-FCI clubs have no intention to issue pedigrees with FCI logos. Any such claims or statements from FCI and / or VDH are simply wrong. 

SV and WUSV meet the strictest criteria in the examination of the pedigree of the German Shepherds, their health and character traits as well as their characteristics as working and family dogs within highest animal welfare standards. As a result, not entering such dogs in the SV studbook would result in a clear discrimination. In addition, the SV studbook would leave out some of the best purebred German Shephards. This is clearly not in the spirit of the Rittmeister von Stephanitz. 

With best regards 

Professor Dr Heinrich Meßler 

WUSV/ SV President