Genitive preposition 'laut' (according to)

laut is a formal genitive preposition meaning according to; it names a source or authority for a statement.

It takes the genitive or the dative - both are standard. With a determiner, laut dem Bericht is just as correct as laut des Berichts (and in fact more common); with article-less bare nouns the dative or the uninflected form is the rule:

• laut des Berichts / laut dem Bericht (genitive or dative) - according to the report
• laut Gesetz / laut Berichten (uninflected / dative) - according to law / according to reports

Examples:

• Laut des Berichts steigen die Kosten. - According to the report, the costs are rising.
• Laut Vertrag haftet der Verkäufer. - According to the contract, the seller is liable.

Common mistakes: Do not confuse the preposition laut with the adjective laut ("loud"). With a determiner both cases are fine (laut des Gutachtens alongside laut dem Gutachten) - the dative is not an error here; with a bare noun, the dative/uninflected form is idiomatic (laut Plan, laut Aussage des Zeugen). laut introduces a source of information; for conformity to a rule, gemäß (+ dative) or nach may fit better.

'laut' (according to) names a source; it takes the genitive (or dative).

Names a source (according to); genitive, or dative/no article with bare nouns.

'laut' (gemäß) nennt eine Quelle; steht mit dem Genitiv (oder Dativ).