Ernst Abbe gave the Zeiss works to a foundation, and after 1945 a western and an eastern Zeiss sued each other over the name for 17 years

Carl Zeiss founded an optical workshop in Jena in 1846. Physicist Ernst Abbe became his partner in 1875. Zeiss died on 3 December 1888. On 19 May 1889 Abbe founded the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung and named it after him. In 1891 Abbe and Zeiss's son Roderich gave up their shares, and the foundation became owner of the Zeiss works and part of the Schott glassworks. Abbe's 1896 statute set hiring by ability regardless of origin, religion or politics, elected works councils, pensions, paid holidays and profit sharing. Abbe died on 14 January 1905. In June 1945 American troops left Jena and took 122 key employees and documents west. Soviet forces dismantled the Jena plants in 1946. East Germany expropriated the Jena companies in 1948. The foundation's seat moved to Heidenheim in West Germany in 1949, and a separate foundation stayed in Jena. The western company in Oberkochen took the name Carl Zeiss in 1951. In 1954 the Jena foundation, the state-owned Jena company and the Oberkochen company sued each other over the Zeiss name and trademarks in many countries. The 1971 London Agreement split the world: Oberkochen in West Germany and some Western countries, Jena in the Comecon countries. After reunification the western company acquired Carl Zeiss Jena, and a 1992 state treaty settled the foundation's legal status. Since 2004 Zeiss and Schott have been stock corporations owned by the foundation.