Copyright notice

The content and work created by the site operator for inclusion on this website is subject to German copyright law. Reproduction, processing, distribution and any kind of exploitation of this content that is beyond the boundaries of this copyright law requires the written permission of the respective author/creator. Downloads and copies of this website are only permitted for private, non-commercial use. In the event that any content on this site was not created by the operator, the third party’s copyright has been respected. In particular, third party content is labelled as such. However, if, despite this, you become aware of a copyright infringement, please notify us, providing the relevant information. In the event that we are notified of legal breaches, we will promptly remove the affected content.

Liability notice

Liability for content
The content of our website has been created with the utmost care. However, we are unable to guarantee its accuracy, completeness or current validity. As a service provider, we are responsible for our own content on these pages in accordance with general law, and as set out in section 7, paragraph 1 of the German Teleservices Act. However, according to sections 8 to 10 of the German Teleservices Act, as a service provider we are not obliged to monitor third party information that has been transmitted or saved, or to research circumstances that could point to illegal acts. The obligation to remove or block information in accordance with general law remains unaffected. Liability in this respect can however only be assumed from the point that we have been notified of a concrete infringement of the law. In the event that we are notified of any such legal breaches, we will promptly remove the affected content.

Liability for links
Our website contains links to the external websites of third parties. We have no influence over the content of such external linked sites. Therefore, we are unable to assume liability for the content of these external sites. The respective provider or operator of such linked sites is solely responsible for their content. Sites that we link to were checked for any possible legal infringements before linking to them. At the time of linking, illegal content was not apparent. However, it is not practical to carry out ongoing checks of the content of sites that we link to without concrete indications of possible breaches of the law. In the event that we are notified of legal breaches, we will promptly remove the relevant links.

Data protection

About data protection
The protection of personal data is very important to us. We therefore carry out our activities in compliance with the applicable legal provisions on the protection of personal data and of data protection. In the following sections you can find out what information we sometimes collect, how we handle it and to whom we may occasionally make it available.

Personal data
We do not collect any kind of personal information whatsoever (for example names, addresses, telephone numbers or email addresses) on our websites, except when you provide us with this data voluntarily (eg by registering, surveys) or have consented for it to be provided to us, or if the applicable legal regulations on protection of your personal data permit this.

Intended purpose
In general, we use the personal data you provide us with to answer your questions, process your orders or grant you access to certain information or offers. Of course, if you do not wish to surrender your personal data to us in order to maintain our customer relationship (especially with relation to direct marketing or market research purposes), we will respect this decision. We will neither sell your personal data to third parties nor exploit it in any other way.

Use for a specific purpose
We will only collect, process and use the personal data you supplied us with online for the purpose stated to you, except when collection, processing or use

• Is needed for another purpose that has a direct relation to the original purpose for which your personal data was collected,
• Is required for the preparation, negotiation and fulfilment of a contract with you,
• Is required to meet legal obligations or official or judicial orders,
• Is required to justify or protect legal claims or for defence against legal actions,
• Serves to prevent misuse or other illegal activities, such as deliberate attacks on our system, in order to protect data security.

Communication or usage-related information
When you use telecommunications services to access our websites, communication-related information (eg IP addresses) or usage-related information (such as details on when usage began, how long it lasted and which telecommunications services you used) is automatically produced using technical means. These could perhaps permit conclusions to be drawn from personal data. Insofar as the collection, processing and use of your communications and/or usage-related information is absolutely essential, this is subject to the legal regulations on data protection.

Automatic collection of non-personal data
When you access our websites, information is sometimes collected automatically (ie not due to registration) that is not linked to a specific person. (For example: web browser and operating system used; the domain name of the website from which you came; number of visits; average length of stay; number of pages visited). We use this information to establish the attractiveness of our websites, and to improve their performance and content. ‘ Cookies’ – Information that is automatically stored on your computer. When you visit one of our websites, it may be the case that we store information on your computer in the form of a ‘cookie’. This is so that we can automatically recognise you if you visit our website again. For example, cookes enable us to adjust our website to your own interests, or to save your password so that you do not have to enter it every time. If you do not wish for us to recognise your computer upon return visits, please set your internet browser so that cookies are deleted from your computer’s hard disk, all cookies are blocked or you are warned before a cookie is saved.

Google Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics, a web analysis tool provided by Google Inc. (‘Google’). Google Analytics uses so-called ‘cookies’; small text files that are saved on your computer and which enable an analysis of your use of the website to be carried out. The information about your use of this website that is created by the cookie (including your IP address) is transferred to Google’s servers in the USA, where it is then stored. Google uses this information to analyse your use of the website in order to compile reports on website activity for the site operator, and to provide services related to website usage and internet usage. Google may also possibly pass this information to third parties, provided that such a transfer is permitted by law or the data is being processed on behalf of Google. Under no circumstances will Google link your IP address to other data held by Google. You can prevent cookies from being saved by making the necessary adjustments in your browser software. However, we would like to make you aware that it is possible that not all of this website’s features may then work in their entirety. By using this website, you declare that you agree to Google processing the data collected about you in the manner previously described and for the purpose previously described.

At any time, you can request that your data is not collected and stored. This takes future effect. See  http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en for more information. We would like to point out that this website uses Google Analytics with the ‘gat._anonymizeIp()’ extension, in order to guarantee that IP addresses are recorded in anonymised form.

Copyright

All texts, scripts and image files are protected by copyright. Exploitation and reproduction of this content and data is forbidden without the permission of the copyright holder (applicable German laws: section 72 in conjunction with section 2, paragraph 1, number 5 of the Copyright Act).

Web design and content management: 
Design Keller Internetagentur Berlin

Portrait of Elke Benning-Rohnke by Inga Haar, Stockphoto picture sources: Knots, isolated – © hudiemm // Young man with businesswoman racing a toy car – © Andrew Rich // Old key and lock – © imaginima, Fotolia picture sources: Business and compass – © ZINQ Stock