According to the “United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights” (“Ruggie-Principles”) of 2011, companies operating globally should take "human rights due diligence" in order to counteract any involvement in human rights violations by subsidiaries or suppliers abroad. Although merely soft law, these principles shall be implemented in Germany by 2020, according to the Action Plan of the Federal Government. The focus is on tort law. Currently, the prevailing view rejects any liability of the parent for torts of subsidiaries. The article doubts this position and proposes a differentiated approach, which could largely eliminate impending legislative measures.