Privacy Policy

1. An overview of data protection

General Information

The following information will provide you with an easy to navigate overview of what will happen with your personal data when you visit this website. The term “personal data” comprises all data that can be used to personally identify you (from hereon, sometimes “data”). We treat your data confidentially and in accordance with the statutory data protection regulations and this privacy policy. For detailed information about the subject matter of data protection, please consult our Data Protection Declaration, which we have included beneath this copy.

The use of our website is generally possible without providing personal data. Insofar as personal data (for example name, address or e-mail addresses) is collected on our pages, this is always done, as far as possible, on a voluntary basis. This data will not be passed on to third parties without your express consent.

Data recording on this website

Who is the responsible party for the recording of data on this website (i.e., the “controller”)?

The data on this website is processed by the operator of the website, whose contact information is available under section “Information about the responsible party (referred to as the “controller” in the GDPR)” in this Privacy Policy.

How do we record your data?

We collect your data as a result of your sharing of your data with us. This may, for instance be information you enter into our contact form.

When you mandate us, we collect the following information:

Salutation, title
First name, last name, maiden name
Date of birth
Profession
Address, correspondence address
Valid e-mail address(es)
Telephone number(s) (landline and/or mobile)
Fax number
Bank account(s)
Information necessary for the assertion and defense of your rights under the mandate
Information necessary for the execution of the mandate granted

Other data shall be recorded by our IT systems automatically or after you consent to its recording during your website visit. This data comprises primarily technical information (e.g., web browser, operating system, or time the site was accessed). This information is recorded automatically when you access this website.

What are the purposes we use your data for?

A portion of the information is generated to guarantee the error free provision of the website. Other data may be used to analyze your user patterns. Part of the data is collected in order to be able to identify you as our client, to be able to correspond with you within the scope of the mandate, and to be able to provide you with appropriate legal advice and representation within the scope of the mandate. Part of the data is acquired for invoicing, for the settlement of any existing liability claims and the assertion of any claims against you.

The data processing is carried out in accordance with your request or consent and is required in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. B GDPR for the stated purposes for the appropriate processing of the mandate and for the mutual fulfillment of obligations arising from the mandate agreement.

What rights do you have as far as your information is concerned?

We would also like to inform you about the rights you are entitled to and the technical and organizational protection measures we have taken with regard to the processing of your data.

You have the right to receive information about the source, recipients, and purposes of your archived personal data at any time without having to pay a fee for such disclosures. You also have the right to demand that your data are rectified or eradicated. If you have consented to data processing, you have the option to revoke this consent at any time, which shall affect all future data processing. Moreover, you have the right to demand that the processing of your data be restricted under certain circumstances. Furthermore, you have the right to log a complaint with the competent supervising agency.

In the event of any breaches of data protection law, the person concerned has the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority. The competent supervisory authority in matters of data protection law is the state data protection commissioner of the federal state in which we have our registered office. A list of the data protection officers and their contact details can be found in the following link: https://www.bfdi.bund.de/DE/Infothek/Anschriften_Links/anschriften_links-node.html

Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time if you have questions about this or any other data protection related issues.

Analysis tools and tools provided by third parties

There is a possibility that your browsing patterns will be statistically analyzed when your visit this website. Such analyses are performed primarily with what we refer to as analysis programs.

For detailed information about these analysis programs please consult our Data Protection Declaration below.

2. Hosting

External Hosting

This website is hosted by an external service provider (host). Personal data collected on this website are stored on the servers of the host. These may include, but are not limited to, IP addresses, contact requests, metadata and communications, contract information, contact information, names, web page access, and other data generated through a web site.

The host is used for the purpose of fulfilling the contract with our potential and existing customers (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) and in the interest of secure, fast, and efficient provision of our online services by a professional provider (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6 (1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TTDSG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

Our host will only process your data to the extent necessary to fulfil its performance obligations and to follow our instructions with respect to such data.

We are using the following host:

Heidelberg iT
Management GmbH & Co. KG
Kurpfalzring 110
69123 Heidelberg

Germany

Data processing

We have entered into a data processing agreement (DPA) with the above-mentioned provider. This is a contract mandated by data privacy laws that guarantees that they process personal data of our website visitors only based on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

3. General information and mandatory information

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 herewith advise you that the transmission of data via the Internet (i.e., through e-mail communications) may be prone to security gaps. It is not possible to completely protect data against third-party access.

Information about the responsible party (referred to as the “controller” in the GDPR)

The data processing controller on this website is:

RUPPERT U.S. IP GmbH
Neuenheimer Landstraße 34
69120 Heidelberg
Germany

Phone: +49 (0) 6221 354 5371
E-Mail: office(at)us-patente.com and info(at)us-patente.com

The controller is the natural person or legal entity that single-handedly or jointly with others makes decisions as to the purposes of and resources for the processing of personal data (e.g., names, e-mail addresses, etc.).

Storage duration

Unless a more specific storage period has been specified in this privacy policy, 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 cease to apply.

The personal data collected by us for the mandate will be stored until the expiry of the statutory retention obligation for lawyers and then deleted, unless we are obliged to store the data for a longer period of time pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. c GDPR, we are obliged to store the data for a longer period of time due to tax and commercial law retention and documentation obligations (from HGB, StGB or AO), we are entitled to do so according to Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f GDPR for the assertion or defense of possible claims, or you have consented to further storage according to Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. a GDPR.

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

If you have consented to data processing, we process your personal data on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR or Art. 9 (2)(a) GDPR, if special categories of data are processed according to Art. 9 (1) GDPR. In the case of explicit consent to the transfer of personal data to third countries, the data processing is also based on Art. 49 (1)(a) GDPR. If you have consented to the storage of cookies or to the access to information in your end device (e.g., via device fingerprinting), the data processing is additionally based on § 25 (1) TTDSG. The consent can be revoked at any time. If your data is required for the fulfillment of a contract or for the implementation of pre-contractual measures, we process your data on the basis of Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. Furthermore, if your data is required for the fulfillment of a legal obligation, we process it on the basis of Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR. Furthermore, the data processing may be carried out on the basis of our legitimate interest according to Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. Information on the relevant legal basis in each individual case is provided in the following paragraphs of this privacy policy.

Note on data transfer to third parties

Your personal data will not be transferred to third parties for purposes other than those listed below.

Insofar as this is necessary for the processing of client relationships with you in accordance with Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit, b GDPR, your personal data will be passed on to third parties. This includes in particular the disclosure to patent offices and their representatives, to law firms and their representatives, to opposing parties and their representatives (in particular their attorneys) as well as courts and other public authorities for the purpose of correspondence and assertion and defense of your rights. The data disclosed may be used by the third party exclusively for the purposes stated.

As far as the processing of the mandate requires it, the passing on of your data can also take place in third countries, i.e., outside Germany. As well as outside the European Union. The attorney-client privilege remains unaffected. Insofar as data subject to attorney-client privilege is involved, it will only be passed on to third parties in consultation with you.

Information on data transfer to the USA and other non-EU countries

Among other things, we use tools of companies domiciled in the United States or other from a data protection perspective non-secure non-EU countries. If these tools are active, your personal data may potentially be transferred to these non-EU countries and may be processed there. We must point out that in these countries, a data protection level that is comparable to that in the EU cannot be guaranteed. For instance, U.S. enterprises are under a mandate to release personal data to the security agencies and you as the data subject do not have any litigation options to defend yourself in court. Hence, it cannot be ruled out that U.S. agencies (e.g., the Secret Service) may process, analyze, and permanently archive your personal data for surveillance purposes. We have no control over these processing activities.

Revocation of your consent to the processing of data

A wide range of data processing transactions are possible only subject to your express consent. You can also revoke at any time any consent you have already given us. This shall be without prejudice to the lawfulness of any data collection that occurred prior to your revocation.

Right to object to the collection of data in special cases; right to object to direct advertising (Art. 21 GDPR)

IN THE EVENT THAT DATA ARE PROCESSED ON THE BASIS OF ART. 6(1)(E) OR (F) GDPR, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO AT ANY TIME OBJECT TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA BASED ON GROUNDS ARISING FROM YOUR UNIQUE SITUATION. THIS ALSO APPLIES TO ANY PROFILING BASED ON THESE PROVISIONS. TO DETERMINE THE LEGAL BASIS, ON WHICH ANY PROCESSING OF DATA IS BASED, PLEASE CONSULT THIS DATA PROTECTION DECLARATION. IF YOU LOG AN OBJECTION, WE WILL NO LONGER PROCESS YOUR AFFECTED PERSONAL DATA, UNLESS WE ARE IN A POSITION TO PRESENT COMPELLING PROTECTION WORTHY GROUNDS FOR THE PROCESSING OF YOUR DATA, THAT OUTWEIGH YOUR INTERESTS, RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS OR IF THE PURPOSE OF THE PROCESSING IS THE CLAIMING, EXERCISING OR DEFENCE OF LEGAL ENTITLEMENTS (OBJECTION PURSUANT TO ART. 21(1) GDPR).

IF YOUR PERSONAL DATA IS BEING PROCESSED IN ORDER TO ENGAGE IN DIRECT ADVERTISING, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBJECT TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR AFFECTED PERSONAL DATA FOR THE PURPOSES OF SUCH ADVERTISING AT ANY TIME. THIS ALSO APPLIES TO PROFILING TO THE EXTENT THAT IT IS AFFILIATED WITH SUCH DIRECT ADVERTISING. IF YOU OBJECT, YOUR PERSONAL DATA WILL SUBSEQUENTLY NO LONGER BE USED FOR DIRECT ADVERTISING PURPOSES (OBJECTION PURSUANT TO ART. 21(2) GDPR).

Right to log a complaint with the competent supervisory agency

In the event of violations of the GDPR, data subjects are entitled to log a complaint with a supervisory agency, in particular in the member state where they usually maintain their domicile, place of work or at the place where the alleged violation occurred. The right to log a complaint is in effect regardless of any other administrative or court proceedings available as legal recourses.

Right to data portability

You have the right to demand that we hand over any data we automatically process on the basis of your consent or in order to fulfil a contract be handed over to you or a third party in a commonly used, machine readable format. If you should demand the direct transfer of the data to another controller, this will be done only if it is technically feasible.

Information about, rectification and eradication of data

Within the scope of the applicable statutory provisions, you have the right to at any time demand information about your archived personal data, their source and recipients as well as the purpose of the processing of your data. You may also have a right to have your data rectified or eradicated. If you have questions about this subject matter or any other questions about personal data, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time.

Right to demand processing restrictions

You have the right to demand the imposition of restrictions as far as the processing of your personal data is concerned. To do so, you may contact us at any time. The right to demand restriction of processing applies in the following cases:

In the event that you should dispute the correctness of your data archived by us, we will usually need some time to verify this claim. During the time that this investigation is ongoing, you have the right to demand that we restrict the processing of your personal data.
If the processing of your personal data was/is conducted in an unlawful manner, you have the option to demand the restriction of the processing of your data in lieu of demanding the eradication of this data.
If we do not need your personal data any longer and you need it to exercise, defend or claim legal entitlements, you have the right to demand the restriction of the processing of your personal data instead of its eradication.
If you have raised an objection pursuant to Art. 21(1) GDPR, your rights and our rights will have to be weighed against each other. As long as it has not been determined 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, these data – with the exception of their archiving – may be processed only subject to your consent or to claim, exercise or defend legal entitlements or to protect the rights of other natural persons or legal entities or for important public interest reasons cited by the European Union or a member state of the EU.

In accordance with Art. 7 (3) GDPR, you have the right to revoke your consent at any time. This has the consequence that we may no longer continue the data processing based on this consent for the future.

In accordance with Art. 15 GDPR, you have the right to request information about your personal data processed by us and concerning you. In particular, you can request information about the processing purposes, the category of personal data, the categories of recipients to whom your data has then been or will be disclosed, the planned storage period, the existence of a right to rectification, erasure, restriction of processing or objection, the existence of a right of complaint, the origin of your data if it was not collected by us, as well as the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling, and, if applicable, meaningful information about its details.

In accordance with Art. 16 GDPR, you have the right to demand the immediate correction of any incorrect data concerning you or the completion of any incomplete personal data stored by us.

You have the right in accordance with Art. 17 GDPR to request the deletion of your personal data stored by us and relating to you, unless the processing is necessary for the exercise of the right to freedom of expression and information, for compliance with a legal obligation, for reasons of public interest, or for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims.

You have the right in accordance with Art. 18 GDPR to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data, insofar as the accuracy of the data is disputed by you, the processing is unlawful, but you object to its erasure and we no longer need the data, but you need it for the assertion, exercise or defense of legal claims or you have objected to the processing in accordance with Art. 21 GDPR.

You have the right in accordance with Art. 20 GDPR to receive your personal data that you have provided to us in a structured, common and machine-readable format or to request the transfer to another controller (right to data portability).

In accordance with Article 77 of the GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority if you believe that the processing of personal data concerning you violates the GDPR. As a rule, you can contact the supervisory authority of your usual place of residence or workplace or our registered office for this purpose.

If your personal data is processed on the basis of legitimate interests pursuant to Article 6 (1) sentence 1 lit. f GDPR, you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data pursuant to Article 21 GDPR, provided that there are grounds for doing so that arise from your particular situation. If you wish to exercise your right to object, an e-mail to office(at)us-patente.com will suffice.

SSL- bzw. TLS-Verschlüsselung

We use technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data against accidental or intentional manipulation, loss, destruction or against unauthorized access by unauthorized persons. For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content, such as purchase orders or inquiries you submit to us as the website operator, this website uses an SSL (Secure. Sockets layer) or a TLS (Transport Layer Security) encryption program. You can recognize an encrypted connection by checking whether the address line of the browser switches from “http://” to “https://” and also by the appearance of the lock icon in the browser line.

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

Rejection of unsolicited e-mails

We herewith object to the use of contact information published in conjunction with the mandatory information to be provided in our Site Notice to send us promotional and information material that we have not expressly requested. The operators of this website and its pages reserve the express right to take legal action in the event of the unsolicited sending of promotional information, for instance via SPAM messages.

4. Recording of data on this website

Cookies

Our websites and pages use what the industry refers to as “cookies.” Cookies are small text files that do not include viruses and do not cause any damage to your device. Cookies are used to make our offer more user-friendly, effective and secure. They are either stored temporarily for the duration of a session (session cookies) or they are permanently archived on your device (permanent cookies). Session cookies are automatically deleted once you terminate your visit. Permanent cookies remain archived on your device until you actively delete them, or they are automatically eradicated by your web browser. These cookies allow us to recognize your browser on your next visit.

In some cases, it is possible that third-party cookies are stored on your device once you enter our site (third-party cookies). These cookies enable you or us to take advantage of certain services offered by the third party (e.g., cookies for the processing of payment services).

Cookies have a variety of functions. Many cookies are technically essential since certain website functions would not work in the absence of the cookies (e.g., the shopping cart function or the display of videos). The purpose of other cookies may be the analysis of user patterns or the display of promotional messages.

Cookies, which are required for the performance of electronic communication transactions, or for the provision of certain functions you want to use (e.g., for the shopping cart function) or those that are necessary for the optimization (required cookies) of the website (e.g., cookies that provide measurable insights into the web audience), shall be stored on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, unless a different legal basis is cited. The operator of the website has a legitimate interest in the storage of required cookies to ensure the technically error free and optimized provision of the operator’s services. If your consent to the storage of the cookies and similar recognition technologies has been requested, processing occurs exclusively on the basis of the consent obtained (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TTDSG); this consent may be revoked at any time.

You have the option to set up your browser in such a manner that you will be notified any time cookies are placed and to permit the acceptance of cookies only in specific cases. You may also exclude the acceptance of cookies in certain cases or in general or activate the delete function for the automatic eradication of cookies when the browser closes. If cookies are deactivated, the functions of this website may be limited.

In the event that third-party cookies are used or if cookies are used for analytical purposes, we will separately notify you in conjunction with this Data Protection Policy and, if applicable, ask for your consent.

Consent with Usercentrics

This website uses the consent technology of Usercentrics to obtain your consent to the storage of certain cookies on your device or for the use of specific technologies, and to document the former in a data protection compliant manner. The party offering this technology is Usercentrics GmbH, Sendlinger Straße 7, 80331 München, Germany, website: https://usercentrics.com/ (hereinafter referred to as “Usercentrics“).

Whenever you visit our website, the following personal data will be transferred to Usercentrics:

Your declaration(s) of consent or your revocation of your declaration(s) of consent
Your IP-address
Information about your browser
Information about your device
The date and time you visited our website

Moreover, Usercentrics shall store a cookie in your browser to be able to allocate your declaration(s) of consent or any revocations of the former. The data that are recorded in this manner shall be stored until you ask us to eradicate them, delete the Usercentrics cookie or until the purpose for archiving the data no longer exists. This shall be without prejudice to any mandatory legal retention periods.

Usercentrics uses cookies to obtain the declarations of consent mandated by law. The legal basis for the use of specific technologies is Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR.

Data processing

Server-Log-Dateien

The provider of this website and its pages automatically collects and stores information in so-called server log files, which your browser communicates to us automatically. The information comprises:

The type and version of browser used
The used operating system
Referrer URL
The hostname of the accessing computer
The time of the server inquiry
The IP-address

This data is not merged with other data sources.

The aforementioned data is processed for the following purposes: Ensuring a friendly use of our website, as well as a smooth connection establishment of the website, evaluations of system stability and security, as well as administrative purposes. This data is recorded on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The operator of the website has a legitimate interest in the technically error free depiction and the optimization of the operator’s website. In order to achieve this, server log files must be recorded.

Contact form

If you submit inquiries to us via our contact form, the information provided in the contact form as well as any contact information provided therein will be stored by us in order to handle your inquiry and in the event that we have further questions. We will not share this information without your consent.

The processing of these data is based on Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR, if your request is related to the execution of a contract or if it is necessary 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(1)(f) GDPR) or on your agreement (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) if 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.

Request by e-mail, telephone, or fax

If you contact us by e-mail, 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 do not pass these data on without your consent.

These data are processed on the basis of Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR if your inquiry is related to the fulfillment of a contract or is required for the performance of pre-contractual measures. In all other cases, the data are processed on the basis of our legitimate interest in the effective handling of inquiries submitted to us (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) or on the basis of your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) if it has been obtained; the consent can be revoked at any time.

The data sent by you to us via contact requests remain with us until you request us to delete, revoke your consent to the storage or the purpose for the data storage lapses (e.g. after completion of your request). Mandatory statutory provisions – in particular statutory retention periods – remain unaffected.

ProvenExpert

We have included evaluation seals from ProvenExpert on this website. The provider is Expert Systems AG, Quedlinburger Str. 1, 10589 Berlin, https://www.provenexpert.com.

The ProvenExpert seal enables us to display on our website customer reviews that have been submitted to ProvenExpert about our company. When you visit our website, a connection to ProvenExpert is established so that ProvenExpert can determine that you have visited our website. Furthermore, ProvenExpert records your language settings to display the seal in the chosen language.

The use of ProvenExpert is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the most comprehensible presentation of customer reviews. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TTDSG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

5. Social Media

We have a profile on LinkedIn. This website uses elements of the LinkedIn network. The provider is LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Plaza, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.

Any time you access a page of this website that contains elements of LinkedIn, a connection to LinkedIn’s servers is established. LinkedIn is notified that you have visited this website with your IP address. If you click on LinkedIn’s “Recommend” button and are logged into your LinkedIn account at the time, LinkedIn will be in a position to allocate your visit to this website to your user account. We have to point out that we as the provider of the websites do not have any knowledge of the content of the transferred data and its use by LinkedIn.

If your approval (consent) has been obtained the use of the abovementioned service shall occur on the basis of Art. 6 (1)(a) GDPR and § 25 TTDSG (German Telecommunications Act). Such consent may be revoked at any time. If your consent was not obtained, the use of the service will occur on the basis of our legitimate interest in making our information as comprehensively visible as possible on social media.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/62538/datenubertragung-aus-der-eu-dem-ewr-und-der-schweiz?lang=en.

For further information on this subject, please consult LinkedIn’s Data Privacy Declaration at: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy.

6. 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 analyze the behavior patterns of website visitors. To that end, the website operator receives a variety of user data, such as pages accessed, time spent on the page, the utilized operating system and the user’s origin. This data is assigned to the respective end device of the user. An assignment to a user-ID does not take place.

Furthermore, Google Analytics allows us to record your mouse and scroll movements and clicks, among other things. Google Analytics uses various modeling approaches to augment the collected data sets and uses machine learning technologies in data analysis.

Google Analytics uses technologies that make the recognition of the user for the purpose of analyzing the user behavior patterns (e.g., cookies or device fingerprinting). The website use information recorded by Google is, as a rule transferred to a Google server in the United States, where it is stored.

The use of these services occurs on the basis of your consent pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25(1) TTDSG. You may revoke your consent at any time.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://privacy.google.com/businesses/controllerterms/mccs/.

Browser Plugin

You can prevent the recording and processing of your data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plugin available under the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en. Please note that in this case you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website.

For more information about the handling of user data by Google Analytics, please consult Google’s Data Privacy Declaration at: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en.

Contract data processing

We have executed a contract data processing agreement with Google and are implementing the stringent provisions of the German data protection agencies to the fullest when using Google Analytics.

7. Plugins und Tools

Google Web Fonts (lokales embedding)

This website uses so-called Web Fonts provided by Google to ensure the uniform and proper use of fonts on this site. These Google fonts are locally installed so that a connection to Google’s servers will not be established in conjunction with this application.. The use of Google Web Fonts on our websites represents a legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DGSVO.

For more information on Google Web Fonts, please follow this link: https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq and consult Google’s Data Privacy Declaration under: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en.

Font Awesome (lokales embedding)

This website uses Font Awesome to ensure the uniform use of fonts on this site. Font Awesome is locally installed so that a connection to Fonticons, Inc.’s servers will not be established in conjunction with this application.

For more information on Font Awesome, please and consult the Data Privacy Declaration for Font Awesome under: https://fontawesome.com/privacy.

Google Maps

This site uses the map service Google Maps to display maps of the surroundings of our location. If you have your habitual residence in the European Economic Area or Switzerland, your provider is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. If you have your habitual residence in another country, the Google Maps service is instead provided to you by Google LLC (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA).

You can consent to the use of Google Maps by clicking on the button to activate Google Maps. Only after you have given your consent, the data for displaying the Google Maps content will be retrieved by Google. To enable the use of the Google Maps features, your IP address must be stored. As a rule, this information is transferred to one of Google’s servers in the United States, where it is archived. The operator of this website has no control over the data transfer. In case Google Maps has been activated, Google has the option to use Google web fonts for the purpose of the uniform depiction of fonts. When you access Google Maps, your browser will load the required web fonts into your browser cache, to correctly display text and fonts.

Google LLC has a so-called EU-U.S. Privacy Shield certification. The EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Agreement is a data protection agreement that is intended to ensure an adequate level of data protection for data transfers to certified U.S. companies. The EU Commission determined the adequacy of the assured level of data protection under the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Agreement in a decision dated July 12, 2016 (Case No. C(2016) 4176).

You can view the EU Commission’s decision here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32016D1250&from=DE

The current status of Google LLC’s certification under the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield agreement can be found here: https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI

We use Google Maps to present our online content in an appealing manner and to make the locations disclosed on our website easy to find. This constitutes a legitimate interest as defined in Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TTDSG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://privacy.google.com/businesses/gdprcontrollerterms/ and https://privacy.google.com/businesses/gdprcontrollerterms/sccs/.

For more information on the handling of user data, please review Google’s Data Privacy Declaration under: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en.

Google reCAPTCHA

We use “Google reCAPTCHA” (hereinafter referred to as “reCAPTCHA”) on this website. The provider is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

The purpose of reCAPTCHA is to determine whether data entered on this website (e.g., information entered into a contact form) is being provided by a human user or by an automated program. To determine this, reCAPTCHA analyzes the behavior of the website visitors based on a variety of parameters. This analysis is triggered automatically as soon as the website visitor enters the site. For this analysis, reCAPTCHA evaluates a variety of data (e.g., IP address, time the website visitor spent on the site or cursor movements initiated by the user). The data tracked during such analyses are forwarded to Google.

reCAPTCHA analyses run entirely in the background. Website visitors are not alerted that an analysis is underway.

Data are stored and analyzed on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the protection of the operator’s websites against abusive automated spying and against SPAM. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TTDSG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

For more information about Google reCAPTCHA please refer to the Google Data Privacy Declaration and Terms Of Use under the following links: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en and https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en.

8. Online-based Audio and Video Conferences (Conference tools)

Data processing

We use online conference tools, among other things, for communication with our customers. The tools we use are listed in detail below. If you communicate with us by video or audio conference using the Internet, your personal data will be collected and processed by the provider of the respective conference tool and by us. The conferencing tools collect all information that you provide/access to use the tools (email address and/or your phone number). Furthermore, the conference tools process the duration of the conference, start and end (time) of participation in the conference, number of participants and other “context information” related to the communication process (metadata).

Furthermore, the provider of the tool processes all the technical data required for the processing of 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.

Should content be exchanged, uploaded, or otherwise made available within the tool, it is also stored on the servers of the tool provider. Such content includes, but is not limited to, cloud recordings, chat/ instant messages, voicemail uploaded photos and videos, files, whiteboards, and other information shared while using the service.

Please note that we do not have complete influence on the data processing procedures of the tools used. Our possibilities 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, and 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(1)(b) GDPR). Furthermore, the use of the tools serves to generally simplify and accelerate communication with us or our company (legitimate interest in the meaning of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Insofar as consent has been requested, the tools in question will be used on the basis of this consent; the consent may be revoked at any time with effect from that date

Duration of storage

Data collected directly by us via the video and conference tools will be deleted from our systems immediately after you request us to delete it, revoke your consent to storage, or the reason for storing the data no longer applies. Stored cookies remain on your end device until you delete them. Mandatory legal retention periods remain unaffected.

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

Conference tools used

We employ the following conference tools:

Zoom

We use Zoom. The provider of this service is Zoom Communications Inc, San Jose, 55 Almaden Boulevard, 6th Floor, San Jose, CA 95113, USA. For details on data processing, please refer to Zoom’s privacy policy: https://zoom.us/en-us/privacy.html.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://zoom.us/de-de/privacy.html.

Data processing

TeamViewer

We use TeamViewer. The provider is TeamViewer Germany GmbH, Jahnstr. 30, 73037 Göppingen. Details about data processing can be found in the TeamViewer privacy policy: https://www.teamviewer.com/en/privacy-policy/.

Data processing

Microsoft Teams

We use Microsoft Teams. The provider is Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399, USA. For details on data processing, please refer to the Microsoft Teams privacy policy: https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement.

Data processing

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) with the above-mentioned provider. This is a contract mandated by data privacy laws that guarantees that they process personal data of our website visitors only based on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

9. Custom Services

Handling applicant data

We offer website visitors the opportunity to submit job applications to us (e.g., via e-mail, via postal services on by submitting the online job application form). Below, we will brief you on the scope, purpose and use of the personal data collected from you in conjunction with the application process. We assure you that the collection, processing, and use of your data will occur in compliance with the applicable data privacy rights and all other statutory provisions and that your data will always be treated as strictly confidential.

Scope and purpose of the collection of data

If you submit a job application to us, we will process any affiliated personal data (e.g., contact and communications data, application documents, notes taken during job interviews, etc.), if they are required to make a decision concerning the establishment or an employment relationship. The legal grounds for the aforementioned are § 26 BDSG according to German Law (Negotiation of an Employment Relationship), Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (General Contract Negotiations) and – provided you have given us your consent – Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. You may revoke any consent given at any time. Within our company, your personal data will only be shared with individuals who are involved in the processing of your job application.

If your job application should result in your recruitment, the data you have submitted will be archived on the grounds of § 26 BDSG and Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR for the purpose of implementing the employment relationship in our data processing system.

Data archiving period

If we are unable to make you a job offer or you reject a job offer or withdraw your application, we reserve the right to retain the data you have submitted on the basis of our legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) for up to 6 months from the end of the application procedure (rejection or withdrawal of the application). Afterwards the data will be deleted, and the physical application documents will be destroyed. The storage serves in particular as evidence in the event of a legal dispute. If it is evident that the data will be required after the expiry of the 6-month period (e.g., due to an impending or pending legal dispute), deletion will only take place when the purpose for further storage no longer applies.

Longer storage may also take place if you have given your agreement (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR) or if statutory data retention requirements preclude the deletion.

Admission to the applicant pool

If we do not make you a job offer, you may be able to join our applicant pool. In case of admission, all documents and information from the application will be transferred to the applicant pool in order to contact you in case of suitable vacancies.

Admission to the applicant pool is based exclusively on your express agreement (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). The submission agreement is voluntary and has no relation to the ongoing application procedure. The affected person can revoke his agreement at any time. In this case, the data from the applicant pool will be irrevocably deleted, provided there are no legal reasons for storage.

The data from the applicant pool will be irrevocably deleted no later than two years after consent has been granted.

Notice:
For some email addresses within our web pages, the “@” sign has been replaced with “(at)” to reduce spam generated by automated web crawlers.