> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.libratech.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Otto Schmidt

> Verlag Dr. Otto Schmidt's commentary library: Zöller ZPO, Erman BGB, Vorwerk, MDR, GmbHR, AG, FR. The commentary side of German legal research.

<video autoPlay muted loop playsInline src="https://mintcdn.com/libra-4206ec93/5Pm7pEl9igcUcCSB/assets/videos/integrations/germany/otto-schmidt.webm?fit=max&auto=format&n=5Pm7pEl9igcUcCSB&q=85&s=33a63320e909bd62a11494a4c26bbfa4" className="rounded-xl border w-full" data-path="assets/videos/integrations/germany/otto-schmidt.webm" />

**Otto Schmidt** is the commentary side of German legal research. Verlag Dr. Otto Schmidt KG (Cologne) has been publishing legal and tax content for over 110 years; their online platform delivers commentaries, handbooks, formularies, and the publisher's flagship journals.

Libra uses two names for it. The connector in **Settings → Integrations** is called **Otto Schmidt**; the research source in the chat picker carries the publisher's full name, **Verlag Dr. Otto Schmidt**, described there as *"Case law, commentaries and legal content from Verlag Dr. Otto Schmidt"*. Same thing.

<div className="libra-buddy-callout">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/libra-4206ec93/wgVZXcGnHS4aJk9T/assets/images/libra-buddy/presenting.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=wgVZXcGnHS4aJk9T&q=85&s=db41075b4a259a172f68465ae5c3421e" alt="Libra mascot presenting" width="827" height="615" data-path="assets/images/libra-buddy/presenting.png" />

  <div className="libra-buddy-callout-content">
    Cite the named commentary, *"What does Zöller say on §91a ZPO?"*, *"Per Erman, when does §305c BGB trigger?"*, and Libra goes straight to the paragraph.
  </div>
</div>

## What Otto Schmidt brings

This is a depth source: named commentaries a German lawyer can cite by author. The titles practitioners reach for most:

| Title                                     | What it covers                      |
| ----------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| **Zöller ZPO**                            | The standard ZPO commentary.        |
| **Erman BGB**                             | Comprehensive BGB commentary.       |
| **Henssler/Willemsen/Kalb Arbeitsrecht**  | Labour-law commentary.              |
| **Schneider/Kurpat Streitwert-Kommentar** | Streitwert calculation.             |
| **Jennissen WEG**                         | Wohnungseigentumsrecht.             |
| **Lützenkirchen Mietrecht**               | Tenancy law.                        |
| **Prütting/Helms FamFG**                  | Family-law procedure.               |
| **Vorwerk Prozessformularbuch**           | Procedural formulary.               |
| **Hintzen**                               | Pfändungs- und Überweisungsanträge. |
| **Salten**                                | Mahn- und Vollstreckungsverfahren.  |

Plus practice handbooks on Arbeitsrecht, Mietrecht, WEG, Familien-, Erb- und Testamentrecht.

Otto Schmidt sells this content as **modules**, and what you can actually search in Libra is the set of modules your firm holds — Zöller, for instance, is its own module rather than part of the civil-law bundle. The next section lists the ones Libra sells directly.

## The five modules Libra sells

German teams can buy these five packages inside Libra, without a separate contract with the publisher:

| Package                                   | What it covers                                                                                |
| ----------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Beratermodul Zöller Zivilprozessrecht** | Commentary on civil procedure law with current rulings and practical guidance for daily work. |
| **Aktionsmodul Zivilrecht**               | Current case law and commentaries on general civil law for your case handling.                |
| **Aktionsmodul Arbeitsrecht**             | Employment-law expertise with forms, templates, and current case law.                         |
| **Aktionsmodul Steuerrecht**              | Tax-law commentaries and decision support for complex tax matters.                            |
| **Aktionsmodul Gesellschaftsrecht**       | Corporate-law expertise focusing on GmbH, AG, and partnerships.                               |

Licenses are per person, and every package is sold in a minimum of three — the app states it above the package cards: *Smallest package includes 3 licenses*. Whichever content module you hold, Otto Schmidt's **Basis Modules**, Gesetze and Rechtsprechung, come with it at no extra cost.

## Modules beyond those five

The publisher's catalogue runs to roughly 180 modules — the **STAUDINGER** Beratermodule, **Beratermodul Medienrecht**, the journal modules, and much more. Libra doesn't sell those, but it can search them if your firm is entitled to them: connect your own Otto Schmidt account and Libra picks up whatever that account is subscribed to. Until you do, they appear in the **Select modules** panel under **Additional Modules**, greyed out, with the note *"Additional modules are available with your own Otto Schmidt account."*

<Note>
  Some firms agree a module set directly with Otto Schmidt rather than buying packages in Libra. Those modules are configured for the whole team and show up under **Provided by Libra** with nothing to assign person by person.
</Note>

## Signature journals

Otto Schmidt publishes the journals German civil and tax practice runs on: **MDR** (Monatsschrift für Deutsches Recht, published since 1947), **GmbHR** (GmbH-Rundschau), **AG** (Die Aktiengesellschaft) and **FR** (Finanz-Rundschau). Naming one in a question is a good way to steer Libra towards recent scholarship.

Each has its own Beratermodul in the publisher's catalogue — **Beratermodul GmbHR – GmbH-Rundschau**, **Beratermodul AG Die Aktiengesellschaft**, **Beratermodul FinanzRundschau** — so whether Libra can quote a given journal depends on the modules your firm holds, not on the Otto Schmidt connection alone.

## What you can ask

* *"Was sagt Zöller zu § 91a ZPO (Erledigung der Hauptsache)?"*
* *"Erman BGB zu § 305c: wann ist eine Klausel überraschend?"*
* *"Wie wird der Streitwert bei einer Räumungsklage berechnet (Schneider/Kurpat)?"*
* *"Aktuelle MDR-Aufsätze zur Verwirkung von Unterhaltsansprüchen?"*

## During the free trial

All five packages are included in the free trial, so you can search the whole Libra-sold catalogue before your firm commits to anything. Two things behave differently from a paid plan:

* **You switch the source on once.** In the Research picker, **Verlag Dr. Otto Schmidt** offers **Activate in free trial** in place of the usual switch. After that it toggles like any other source.
* **Trial research is capped.** Each person gets three Otto Schmidt requests a day, resetting at midnight UTC. Hovering the source row shows **Resource usage** against the limit and the words **Resets daily**, with the reminder that *"Otto Schmidt is available on a limited trial basis with daily usage that resets."* When you reach the cap Libra quietly drops Otto Schmidt from your selected sources for the rest of the day; every other source keeps working.

## Setup

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings → Integrations">
    Click your profile icon at the bottom of the sidebar, choose **Settings**, then **Integrations**. **Otto Schmidt** — *Legal research database* — sits at the top of the connector list.

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/libra-4206ec93/vIwxn8dmEk0jsP5x/assets/images/integrations/settings-integrations-list.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=vIwxn8dmEk0jsP5x&q=85&s=1516b9f57f3583423715b9e170df751e" alt="Settings → Integrations with the Otto Schmidt card at the top of the connector list" width="2880" height="1800" data-path="assets/images/integrations/settings-integrations-list.png" />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick an authentication method">
    **Libra Access** signs you in to Otto Schmidt with your Libra account and gives you the modules your firm's licenses cover; the option lists them under *Available modules*. **Use my Otto Schmidt Account** connects your personal Otto Schmidt login instead, which is how you reach modules Libra doesn't sell.

    If you later switch between the two, clear your browser cookies for `online.otto-schmidt.de` — the app reminds you, and skipping it leaves you signed in as the wrong identity.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose your modules in Research">
    In a chat, open **Research**. The **Verlag Dr. Otto Schmidt** row carries a **Select modules** control, because access is licensed module by module. Modules you hold sit under **Provided by Libra**; anything your team hasn't licensed is marked **Missing license**. Pick two to four — a tighter selection gives a more focused answer, which is what the panel's own hint tells you.
  </Step>
</Steps>

For the general flow, see [Setting up integrations](/en/integrations/setup).

## Buying and handing out licenses

Otto Schmidt is one of the publishers you can buy from without leaving Libra. An Owner or Admin opens **Team & Subscription** from the profile menu and works through two tabs:

* On **Subscription**, the **Otto Schmidt Licenses** section lists the five packages as cards. Tick the ones you want, set the count with the stepper — three is the floor per package — and they join the same order as your Libra licenses. Firms on a manually created subscription see **Request changes** instead of a checkout.
* On **Team Members**, the **Otto Schmidt Licenses** card shows where each package stands, either *N available* or **Not purchased**, with **Buy licenses** next to it. Licenses bought here still have to be assigned: tick the people, then **Assign packages**.

The full mechanics live on [Subscription](/en/resources/subscription) and [Team management](/en/features/team-management).

<Tip>
  Not sure a module is worth it? Each package card links out to its page on the [Otto Schmidt online shop](https://www.otto-schmidt.de/online?utm_medium=referral\&utm_source=libra+website), where the publisher lists every title the module contains.
</Tip>

## Tips

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Cite the named commentary when you know it">
    *"What does Zöller say about…"* / *"Per Erman, the requirement is…"*: Libra tracks named-commentary references and pulls the matching passage.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Combine with WK Online for breadth">
    Otto Schmidt is the depth layer. **[Wolters Kluwer Online](/en/integrations/germany/wolters-kluwer-online)** adds breadth across modules and the cross-discipline case-law collection.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Narrow the modules before a hard question">
    Leaving every licensed module switched on spreads the search thin. For a Streitwert question, Zöller and Aktionsmodul Zivilrecht are enough; drop the tax and corporate modules and the answer comes back tighter.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Use MDR / GmbHR / AG / FR for current scholarship">
    For recent scholarly takes, naming the journal speeds up the answer: *"Find a recent MDR article on…"* — as long as your firm's modules cover it.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Next steps

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Wolters Kluwer Online" icon="book-marked" href="/en/integrations/germany/wolters-kluwer-online">
    Pair Otto Schmidt depth with WK Online breadth.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Research mode" icon="https://mintcdn.com/libra-4206ec93/vIwxn8dmEk0jsP5x/assets/images/icons/research.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=vIwxn8dmEk0jsP5x&q=85&s=b71b64b69957b598c1506ba997da54e8" href="/en/features/chat/research-mode" width="16" height="16" data-path="assets/images/icons/research.svg">
    Use Otto Schmidt in any chat.
  </Card>
</Columns>