Privacy Policy

Data Protection Declaration

1. Data Protection at a Glance

General Information

The following information provides a simple overview of what happens to your personal data when you visit this website. Personal data is any data that can be used to personally identify you. For detailed information on the subject of data protection, please refer to our data protection declaration below this text.

Data collection on this website

Who is responsible for data collection on this website?

The data processing on this website is carried out by the website operator. You can find the contact details in the ‘Note on the responsible party’ section of this data protection declaration.

How do we collect your data?

On the one hand, your data is collected when you provide it to us. This may be data that you enter in a contact form, for example.

Other data are collected automatically by our IT systems or with your consent when you visit the website. These are mainly technical data (e.g. internet browser, operating system or time of page view). These data are collected automatically as soon as you enter this website.

What do we use your data for?

Some of the data is collected to ensure that the website is provided without errors. Other data can be used to analyse your user behaviour. What rights do you have with regard to your data? You have the right to receive information about the origin, recipient and purpose of your stored personal data at any time and free of charge. You also have the right to request the correction or deletion of this data. If you have given your consent to data processing, you can revoke this consent at any time for the future. You also have the right to request that the processing of your personal data be restricted under certain circumstances. Furthermore, you have the right to appeal to the responsible supervisory authority.

You can contact us at any time about this and any other questions you may have about data protection.

Analysis tools and tools from third-party providers

When you visit this website, your surfing behaviour may be statistically evaluated. This is done primarily with so-called analysis programs.

Detailed information on these analysis programs can be found in the following data protection declaration.

2. Hosting

We host the contents of our website with the following provider:

IONOS

The provider is IONOS SE, Elgendorfer Str. 57, 56410 Montabaur (hereinafter IONOS). When you visit our website, IONOS collects various log files including your IP addresses. For details, please refer to the IONOS privacy policy: https://www.ionos.de/terms-gtc/terms-privacy.

IONOS is used on the basis of Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. f GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in ensuring that our website is displayed as reliably as possible. If consent has been requested, processing will be carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6 (1) point a GDPR and Art. 25 (1) TDDDG, insofar as the consent includes the storage of cookies or access to information in the user’s terminal device (e.g. device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. Consent can be revoked at any time.

Contract data processing

We have concluded a contract for contract data processing for the use of the above-named service. This is a contract prescribed by data protection law that warrants that the personal data of our website visitors is processed only in accordance with our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

3. General Information and Mandatory Disclosures

Data protection

The operators of this website and its pages take the protection of your personal data very seriously. Hence, we handle your personal data as confidential information and in compliance with the statutory data protection regulations and this Data Protection Declaration.

Whenever you use this website, a variety of personal information will be collected. Personal data comprises data that can be used to personally identify you. This Data Protection Declaration explains which data we collect as well as the purposes we use this data for. It also explains how, and for which purpose the information is collected.

We would like to point out that data transmission over the internet (e.g. when communicating by email) can have security gaps. It is not possible to provide seamless protection of data from access by third parties.

Note on the responsible party

The responsible party for data processing on this website is:

Zeuss Grabosch Rechtsanwälte Partnerschaftsgesellschaft mbB
Hohenzollernring 57, 50672 Cologne

Telephone: +49 (0) 221 956 7471 0
Email: info@zeussgrabosch.com

The responsible party is the natural or legal person who alone or jointly with others decides on the purposes and means of processing personal data (names, email addresses, etc.).

Storage duration

Unless a more specific storage period has been specified in this data protection declaration, your personal data will remain with us until the purpose for which it was collected no longer applies. If you assert a justified request for deletion or revoke your consent to data processing, your data will be deleted, unless we have other legally permissible reasons for storing your personal data (e.g. tax or commercial law retention periods); in the latter case, the deletion will take place after these reasons no longer apply.

General information on the legal basis for data processing on this website

If you have consented to the data processing, we process your personal data on the basis of Art. 6 (1) point a GDPR or Art. 9 (2) point a GDPR, insofar as special categories of data are processed pursuant to Art. 9 (1) GDPR. In the event of express consent to the transfer of personal data to third countries, the data processing is also carried out on the basis of Art. 49 (1) (a) GDPR. If you have consented to the storage of cookies or access to information on your end device (e.g. via device fingerprinting), the data processing is also carried out on the basis of § 25 para. 1 TDDDG. This consent can be withdrawn at any time. If your data is required for the fulfilment of a contract or for the implementation of pre-contractual measures, we process your data on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR. Furthermore, we process your data if it is necessary to fulfil a legal obligation on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c GDPR. The data processing can also be carried out on the basis of our legitimate interest in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. The following paragraphs of this data protection declaration provide information about the relevant legal bases in each individual case.

Recipients of personal data

As part of our business activities, we work together with various external parties. In some cases, personal data also needs to be transmitted to these external bodies. We only pass on personal data to external bodies if this is necessary in order to fulfil a contract, if we are legally obliged to do so (e.g. passing on data to tax authorities), if we have a legitimate interest in doing so in accordance with Art. 6 (1) point f GDPR, or if another legal basis permits the data transfer. When using processors, we only pass on our customers’ personal data on the basis of a valid contract for order processing. In the case of joint processing, a contract for joint processing is concluded.

Revocation of your consent to data processing

Many data processing operations are only possible with your express consent. You can revoke consent that you have already given at any time. The legality of the data processing carried out up to the point of revocation remains unaffected by the revocation.

Right to object to data collection in special cases and to direct advertising (Art. 21 GDPR)

IF DATA PROCESSING IS CARRIED OUT ON THE BASIS OF ART. 6 PARA. 1 LIT. E OR F OF THE GDPR, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBJECT, ON GROUNDS RELATING TO YOUR PARTICULAR SITUATION, AT ANY TIME TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA, WHICH INCLUDES PROFILING BASED ON THESE PROVISIONS. THE RESPECTIVE LEGAL BASIS FOR PROCESSING IS PROVIDED IN THIS DATA PROTECTION DECLARATION. IF YOU OBJECT, WE WILL NO LONGER PROCESS YOUR AFFECTED PERSONAL DATA UNLESS WE CAN PROVE THAT THERE ARE COMPELLING REASONS FOR PROCESSING WHICH ARE WORTHY OF PROTECTION AND OUTWEIGH YOUR INTERESTS, RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS, OR IF THE PROCESSING SERVES THE PURPOSE OF ASSERTING, EXERCISING OR DEFENDING LEGAL CLAIMS (OBJECTION PURSUANT TO ART. 21 PARA. 1 DSGVO).

IF YOUR PERSONAL DATA IS PROCESSED FOR THE PURPOSE OF DIRECT MARKETING, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBJECT AT ANY TIME TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA FOR THE PURPOSE OF SUCH ADVERTISING; THIS ALSO APPLIES TO PROFILING INSOFAR AS IT IS ASSOCIATED WITH SUCH DIRECT ADVERTISING. IF YOU OBJECT, YOUR PERSONAL DATA WILL SUBSEQUENTLY NO LONGER BE USED FOR THE PURPOSE OF DIRECT MARKETING (OBJECTION PURSUANT TO ART. 21 SEC. 2 GDPR).

Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

In the event of violations of the GDPR, data subjects are entitled to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the member state of their habitual residence, their place of work or the place of the alleged violation. The right to lodge a complaint exists regardless of any other administrative or judicial remedies.

Right to data portability

You have the right to have data which we process based on your consent or in fulfilment of a contract automatically delivered to yourself or to a third party in a standard, machine-readable format. If you require the direct transfer of data to another responsible party, this will only be done to the extent technically feasible.

Information, correction and deletion

Within the scope of the applicable legal provisions, you have the right to request information about your stored personal data, its origin and recipients and the purpose of the data processing and, if applicable, a right to correct or delete this data. You can contact us at any time if you have further questions about the issue of personal data.

Right to restriction of processing

You have the right to request that the processing of your personal data be restricted. You can contact us at any time regarding this. The right to restrict processing applies in the following cases:

• If you dispute the accuracy of your personal data stored by us, we usually need time to verify this. During the verification period, you have the right to request that the processing of your personal data be restricted.

• If the processing of your personal data was/is carried out unlawfully, you can request the restriction of data processing instead of deletion.

• If we no longer need your personal data, but you need it to exercise, defend or assert legal claims, you have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data instead of deletion.

• If you have objected to processing pursuant to Article 21(1) GDPR, your rights and our rights will have to be weighed against each other. While it is not yet clear whose interests prevail, you have the right to demand a restriction of the processing of your personal data.

If you have restricted the processing of your personal data, this data – apart from its storage – may only be processed with your consent or for the purpose of asserting, exercising or defending legal claims or protecting the rights of another natural or legal person or for reasons of an important public interest of the European Union or a Member State.

SSL or TLS encryption

This site uses SSL or TLS encryption for security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content, such as orders or requests that you send to us as the site operator. You can recognise an encrypted connection by the fact that the address line of the browser changes from ‘http://’ to ‘https://’ and by the lock symbol in your browser line.

If SSL or TLS encryption is activated, the data you transfer to us cannot be read by third parties.

Objection to advertising e-mails

We hereby object to the use of contact data published in accordance with the imprint obligation to send unsolicited advertising and information material. The site operators expressly reserve the right to take legal action in the event of unsolicited advertising information being sent, for example by spam e-mails.

4. Data Collection on this Website

Cookies

Our websites use so-called ‘cookies’. Cookies are small data packages and do not cause any damage to your end device. They are either stored temporarily for the duration of a session (session cookies) or permanently (permanent cookies) on your end device. Session cookies are automatically deleted after the end of your visit. Permanent cookies remain stored on your end device until you delete them yourself or until they are automatically deleted by your web browser.

Cookies may come from us (first-party cookies) or from third-party companies (so-called third-party cookies). Third-party cookies enable the integration of certain services from third-party companies within websites (e.g. cookies for processing payment services).

Cookies have various functions. Numerous cookies are technically necessary because certain website functions would not work without them (e.g. the shopping cart function or the display of videos). Other cookies may be used to analyse user behaviour or for advertising purposes.

Cookies that are required for the performance of the electronic communications transaction, to provide certain functions you want to use (e.g. the shopping cart function) or to optimise the website (e.g. cookies that provide measurable insights into the web audience) (necessary cookies) shall be stored on the basis of Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. f GDPR, unless a different legal basis is cited. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the storage of cookies necessary for the technically error-free and optimised provision of its services. If consent to the storage of cookies and comparable recognition technologies has been requested, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of this consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a DSGVO and § 25 para. 1 TDDDG); the consent can be revoked at any time.

You can adjust your browser settings so that you are informed when cookies are set and only allow cookies in individual cases, accept cookies for specific cases or generally exclude them, and activate the automatic deletion of cookies when closing the browser. If you disable cookies, the functionality of this website may be limited.

This privacy policy explains which cookies and services are used on this website.

Contact form

If you send us enquiries using the contact form, the information you provide in the enquiry form, including the contact details you provide there, will be stored by us for the purpose of processing the enquiry and in the event of follow-up questions. We will not pass on this data without your consent.

The processing of these data is based on Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b DSGVO, insofar as your request is related to the fulfilment of a contract or is required for the implementation of pre-contractual measures. In all other cases, the processing is based on our legitimate interest in the effective processing of the requests addressed to us (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) or on your consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR), provided that this has been requested; the consent can be revoked at any time.

The information you have entered into the contact form shall remain with us until you ask us to eradicate the data, revoke your consent to the archiving of data or if the purpose for which the information is being archived no longer exists (e.g. after we have concluded our response to your inquiry). This shall be without prejudice to any mandatory legal provisions – in particular retention periods.

Requests by e-mail, telephone or fax

If you contact us by email, telephone or fax, your request, including all resulting personal data (name, request) will be stored and processed by us for the purpose of processing your request. We will not pass on this data without your consent.

The processing of this data is based on Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR, provided that your request is related to the performance of a contract or is required to carry out pre-contractual measures. In all other cases, the processing is based on our legitimate interest in the effective processing of the requests addressed to us (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO) or on your consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a DSGVO), provided that this has been requested; the consent is revocable at any time.

The data you send to us via contact requests will remain with us until you request us to delete it, revoke your consent to store it, or the purpose for storing the data no longer applies (e.g. after we have finished processing your request). Mandatory statutory provisions – in particular statutory retention periods – remain unaffected.

5. Analysis Tools and Advertising

Google Analytics

This website uses functions of the web analysis service Google Analytics. The provider of this service is Google Ireland Limited (‘Google’), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Google Analytics enables the website operator to analyse the behaviour patterns of website visitors. To do this, the website operator receives a variety of user data, such as pages viewed, time spent on the page, the utilised operating system and the user’s origin. This data is summarised in a user ID and assigned to the respective device of the website visitor.

Furthermore, we can use Google Analytics to record your mouse and scroll movements and clicks, among other things. Google Analytics also uses various modelling approaches to supplement the collected data sets and uses machine learning technologies for data analysis.

Google Analytics uses technologies that enable the recognition of the user for the purpose of analysing user behaviour (e.g. cookies or device fingerprinting). The information collected by Google about the use of this website is usually transferred to a Google server in the USA and stored there.

This service is used on the basis of your consent in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR and Section 25 (1) TDDDG. This consent may be withdrawn at any time.

Data transmission to the US is based on the standard contractual clauses of the EU Commission. Details can be found here: https://privacy.google.com/businesses/controllerterms/mccs/.

The company is certified according to the ‘EU-US Data Privacy Framework’ (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the United States to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the United States. Every DPF-certified company is committed to complying with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider at the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780.

IP anonymisation

Google Analytics IP anonymisation is activated. This means that your IP address will be truncated by Google within the area of member states of the European Union or other parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area prior to transmission to the United States. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be sent to a Google server in the US and shortened there. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports on website activity and to provide other services relating to website activity and internet usage to the website operator. The IP address transmitted by your browser as part of Google Analytics will not be merged with other Google data.

Browser Plugin

You can prevent Google from collecting and processing your data by downloading and installing the browser plugin available at the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de.

For more information about how Google Analytics handles user data, see Google’s privacy policy: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=de.

Contract data processing

We have entered into a data processing agreement with Google and fully implement the strict requirements of the German data protection authorities when using Google Analytics.

Google Conversion Tracking

This website uses Google Conversion Tracking. The provider of this service is Google Ireland Limited (‘Google’), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

With the help of Google Conversion Tracking, we and Google can recognise whether the user has performed certain actions. For example, we can evaluate which buttons on our website are clicked how often and which products are viewed or purchased particularly frequently. This information is used to generate conversion statistics. We learn the total number of users who clicked on our ads and what actions they performed. We do not receive any information that would allow us to personally identify the user. Google itself uses cookies or comparable recognition technologies for identification.

This service is used on the basis of your consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a DSGVO and § 25 para. 1 TDDDG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

More information about Google Conversion Tracking can be found in Google’s privacy policy:

https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

The company is certified according to the ‘EU-US Data Privacy Framework’ (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the United States to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the United States. Each DPF-certified company is committed to complying with these data protection standards. Further information is available from the provider at the following link:

https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780.

6. Audio and Video Conferences

Data processing

We use online conference tools, among other things, to communicate with our customers. The tools we use in detail are listed below. When you communicate with us via video or audio conference over the internet, your personal data is collected and processed by us and the provider of the respective conference tool. In doing so, the conference tools collect all data that you provide/use to use the tools (email address and/or your telephone number). Furthermore, the conference tools process the duration of the conference, the start and end (time) of participation in the conference, the number of participants and other ‘context information’ in connection with the communication process (metadata). In addition, the tool provider processes all technical data required to process the online communication.

This includes, in particular, IP addresses, MAC addresses, device IDs, device type, operating system type and version, client version, camera type, microphone or loudspeaker, and the type of connection. If content is exchanged, uploaded or otherwise provided within the tool, this is also stored on the servers of the tool providers. Such content includes, in particular, cloud recordings, chat/instant messages, voicemails, uploaded photos and videos, files, whiteboards and other information shared while using the service.

Please note that we do not have full influence on the data processing operations of the tools used. Our options are largely determined by the corporate policy of the respective provider.

Further information on data processing by the conference tools can be found in the data protection declarations of the tools used, which we have listed below this text.

Purpose and legal basis

The conference tools are used to communicate with prospective or existing contractual partners or to offer certain services to our customers (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b DSGVO). Furthermore, the use of the tools serves to generally simplify and accelerate communication with us or our company (legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR). Insofar as consent has been requested, the use of the tools in question is based on this consent; consent can be revoked at any time with effect for the future.

Storage period

The data collected directly by us via the video and conference tools will be deleted from our systems as soon as you request us to delete it, revoke your consent to store it or the purpose for storing the data no longer applies. Stored cookies remain on your device until you delete them. Mandatory statutory retention periods remain unaffected.

We have no influence on the storage period of your data, which is stored by the operators of the conference tools for their own purposes. For details, please contact the operators of the conference tools directly.

Conference tools used

We use the following conference tools:

Microsoft Teams

South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland. For details on data processing, please refer to the Microsoft Teams privacy policy: https://privacy.microsoft.com/de-de/privacystatement.

The company is certified according to the ‘EU-US Data Privacy Framework’ (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the United States to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the United States. Each DPF-certified company is committed to complying with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider at the following link:

https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780.

Contract data processing

We have concluded a contract for contract data processing for the use of the above-named service. This is a contract prescribed by data protection law that guarantees that the personal data of our website visitors is processed only in accordance with our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR