Success for bestselling author Dr Yael Adler: Amazon is barred from continuing to sell a misleading companion book to “Genial ernährt!”
Success for bestselling author Dr Yael Adler: Amazon is barred from continuing to sell a misleading companion book to *Genial ernährt!*
Berlin, 16 August 2026 – The renowned dermatologist and bestselling author Dr Yael Adler has secured an important victory at Berlin Regional Court II. The court ordered the platform Amazon EU S.à.r.l. to cease selling an unauthorised companion book. The online retailer faces a fine of up to 250,000 euros for any breaches. The author was represented by the law firm Gelbart Legal.
The legal dispute arose from Dr Yael Adler’s book, published in March 2025, entitled Genial ernährt! Klüger essen, entspannter genießen, besser leben, which reached number one on the SPIEGEL bestseller list. In August 2025, a paperback and ‘Kindle’ edition by a different author with the very similar title Genial ernährt! Aufgaben: Die praktischen Schritte zur Umsetzung der Lehren von Dr Yael Adler appeared on the amazon.de platform.
The Berlin Regional Court II upheld Dr Yael Adler’s claim in full in its judgement of 23 July 2026 (93 O 15/26). The court ruled that, by distributing the book, Amazon had infringed the Berlin-based author’s general right of personality. By conspicuously using the doctor’s prominent name, Amazon misused it for the purely commercial interests of a third-party product. The court found that there was neither a public interest in the information nor a contribution to current affairs. Amazon must also reimburse the claimant for the costs of the cease-and-desist notice.
Dr Yael Adler expressed her relief at the outcome of the proceedings:
“As an author, I pour years of medical expertise, passion and scientific work into my books to offer readers sound advice. When free-riders then exploit the good reputation of my name and the success of Genial ernährt! to make money from inferior, unauthorised companion books, consumers are deliberately misled. I am very pleased that the court has put a clear stop to this commercial exploitation. It is unacceptable for global platforms such as Amazon to profit from the unauthorised misuse of well-known personal names.”
Norman Nathan Gelbart, Managing Partner at Gelbart Legal: “This ruling is a milestone for the protection of authors and public figures in digital commerce. The court has made it unequivocally clear that platform operators may not exploit the reputation and appeal of well-known brand and personal names without authorisation for their own commercial purposes through ‘free-rider’ products. The court also rightly rejected Amazon’s defence – that the offer was allegedly aimed solely at customers in Japan due to pre-set delivery addresses – for lack of concrete evidence. “
The judgement is not yet final. The law firm Gelbart Legal had previously obtained injunctions against Amazon on Dr Adler’s behalf in five similar cases. Amazon has accepted two of these as final; two further cases are currently under appeal at the Berlin Court of Appeal.
Dr Yael Adler is a specialist in dermatology, venereology, phlebology and nutritional medicine (DGEM). She is President of the German Society for Prevention and Anti-Ageing Medicine – Healthy Longevity e.V. (GSAAM). She has worked in clinical research and has run her own practice in Berlin since 2007. She has also been practising in Zurich since 2024. Yael Adler has a talent for explaining complex medical issues in a clear and accessible way. She demonstrates this in specialist and stand-up talks and as a health expert in the media, including as a medical expert on various TV programmes such as Sat.1’s ‘Frühstücksfernsehen’, ZDF’s ‘Fernsehgarten’, ARD’s *Buffet*, *hr-Ratgeber* and RTL’s *Punkt 12*, as a sought-after interviewee for newspapers and magazines, and as a columnist for *t-online.de* and the *FAZ am Sonntag*. She has also been providing expert advice for years alongside her guests on her regular podcast Ist das noch gesund?.
Her books published by Droemer – Haut nah (2016), Darüber spricht man nicht (2018), Wir müssen reden, Frau Doktor! (2020), Genial vital! (2023) and Genial ernährt! (2025) – were SPIEGEL bestsellers; several reached number 1 on the bestseller list. Her books have been translated internationally into up to 35 languages. Genial ernährt! was published on 3 March 2025.
In recognition of her commitment to providing accessible health information, Yael Adler was included in ‘The Power List – Germany’s Top 50’ in June 2026, an initiative by WELT, POLITICO Germany and BUSINESS INSIDER Germany to honour Germany’s most influential figures.
Gelbart Legal is a law and notary firm specialising in commercial, property, employment and media law, with offices in Berlin and Tel Aviv. The firm represents national and international clients, companies and public figures, both in an advisory capacity and in complex legal disputes.
