Privacy

This privacy policy ("Policy") describes how the personally identifiable information ("Personal Information") you provide on the schwanna-legal.com website ("Site" or "Service") and any related products and services (collectively, "Services") is collected, protected and used. It also describes the choices available to you regarding our use of your personal information and how you can access and update that information. This Policy is a legally binding agreement between you ("User", "you" or "your") and Schwanna Legal Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH ("Schwanna Legal GmbH", "we", "us" or "our"). By accessing and using the Site and Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understand, and agree to be bound by the terms of this Agreement. This Policy does not apply to the practices of companies that we do not own or control, or to individuals that we do not employ or manage.

Automatic data acquisition

When you open the Website, our servers automatically record information that your browser sends. This information may include information such as your device's IP address, browser type and version, operating system type and version, language settings or the web page you were visiting before you came to the Website and Services, pages of the Website and Services you visit, time spent on those pages, information you search for on the Website, access times and dates, and other statistics. Automatically collected information is used only to identify potential abuse and to compile statistical information about the use and traffic of the Site and Services. This statistical information is not otherwise aggregated in a way that would identify a specific user of the system.

Storage of personal information

You can access and use the Site and Services without telling us who you are or revealing any information that would enable someone to identify you as a specific, identifiable individual. However, if you choose to use some of the features on the Site, you may be asked to provide certain personally identifiable information (such as your name and email address). We receive and store any information you knowingly provide to us when you create an account, make a purchase, or fill out online forms on the Site. When required, this information may include the following:
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  • Personal information such as name, residence, etc.
  • Contact information such as email address, address, etc.
  • Account details such as username, unique user ID, password, etc.
  • Geolocation data such as latitude and longitude.
  • Any other materials that you willingly provide to us, such as articles, images, feedback, etc., will be kept confidential.
Some of the information we collect comes directly from you through the Site and Services. However, we may also collect Personal Information about you from other sources, such as public databases and our joint marketing partners. You may choose not to provide us with your Personal Information, but if you do, you may not be able to take advantage of some of the features on the Site. Users who are unsure about what information is mandatory are welcome to contact us.

Use and processing of the collected information

In order to provide you with the Site and Services or to comply with a legal obligation, we need to collect and use certain personal information. If you do not provide the information we request, we may not be able to provide you with the products or services you have requested. Any information we collect from you may be used for the following purposes:

  • Improving the user experience
  • Create and manage user accounts
  • Fulfill and manage orders
  • Supply products or services
  • Respond to requests and provide support
  • Place targeted advertising
  • Protection against misuse and malicious users
  • Operation of the Website and Services
The processing of your personal information depends on how you interact with the Site and Services, where you are in the world, and whether any of the following apply: (i) you have given your consent for one or more specific purposes; the provision of information is necessary for the performance of a contract with you and/or for pre-contractual obligations; (ii) the processing is necessary for the purposes of a legal obligation to which you are subject; (iii) the processing is related to a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in us; (iv) the processing is necessary for the purposes of legitimate interests pursued by us or a third party.

Note that under some legislations we may be entitled to process data until you object to such processing (by opting out), without having to rely on consent or any other of the following legal bases. In any case, we will be happy to clarify the specific legal basis that applies to the processing and, in particular, whether the provision of personal data is a legal or contractual obligation or a requirement for the conclusion of a contract.

Manage information

You have the ability to delete certain Personal Data that we have about you. The Personal Data that you can delete may change as the Site and Services change. However, if you delete Personal Data, we may retain a copy of the unrevised Personal Data in our records for the period necessary to comply with our obligations to our affiliates and partners and for the purposes described below. If you wish to delete your Personal Data or permanently delete your account, you may do so on the settings page of your account on the Website.

Data publication

This disclaimer is to be regarded as part of the internet publication which you were referred from. If sections or individual terms of this statement are not legal or correct, the content or validity of the other parts remain uninfluenced by this fact.

Links to external sites: With the judgment 312 O 85/98 "Liability for Links" of May 12, 1998, the Regional Court of Hamburg ruled that by placing a link, one may be jointly responsible for the contents of the linked page. We expressly distance ourselves from all contents of external pages, archives and executable files - even if these are the target of links on our pages - and emphasize that we have no influence whatsoever on their contents and design.

No liability for data and contents, the use of this service is at your own risk. The use of this document outside the responsibility of Schwanna-legal.com is prohibited. Although for reasons of readability in the text the masculine form was chosen, the information refers to members of all genders.

Data retention

We will retain and use your personal information for as long as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law and/or professional conduct. We may use any aggregate data derived from or containing your personal information after you update or delete it, but not in a way that would identify you personally. After the retention period has expired, the personal data will be deleted. Therefore, the right of access, the right of erasure, the right of rectification and the right of data portability can no longer be enforced after the expiry of the retention period.

Information transmission

Depending on your location, data transfers may involve the transfer and storage of your information in a country other than your own. You have the right to learn about the legal basis for data transfers to a country outside the European Union or to an international organization governed by international law or established by two or more countries, such as the UN, and the security measures we have in place to protect your information. If such a transfer occurs, you can learn more about it by reviewing the relevant sections of this Policy or by contacting us using the information provided in the "Contact Us" section.

The rights of users

You may exercise certain rights regarding your data processed by us. In particular, you have the right to: (i) you have the right to withdraw your consent if you have previously consented to the processing of your data; (ii) you have the right to object to the processing of your data if the processing is based on a legal basis other than consent; (iii) you have the right to know whether data is being processed by us, to obtain information about certain aspects of the processing and to obtain a copy of the data being processed; (iv) you have the right to verify the accuracy of your data and to request that it be updated or rectified; (v) You have the right, in certain circumstances, to restrict the processing of your data, in which case we will not process your data for any purpose other than storage; (vi) You have the right, in certain circumstances, to obtain erasure of your personal data from us; (vii) You have the right to receive your data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and, where technically possible, to have it freely transferred to another controller. This provision applies on condition that your data is processed by automated means and that the processing is based on your consent, on a contract of which you are a part or on pre-contractual obligations.

Right to object to processing

If personal data are processed in the public interest, in the exercise of official authority vested in us or for the protection of our legitimate interests, you may object to such processing by providing a ground relating to your particular situation to justify the objection. However, you must know that should your Personal Data be processed for direct marketing purposes, you may object to such processing at any time without giving any reason. To find out whether we process Personal Data for direct marketing purposes, you can refer to the relevant sections of this document.

Data protection rights under GDPR

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain data protection rights and Schwanna Legal GmbH will endeavor to take reasonable steps to allow you to correct, amend, delete or limit the use of your personal data. If you would like to know what personal information we hold about you and if you would like it removed from our systems, please contact us. In certain circumstances, you have the following data protection rights:
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  • You have the right to request access to your personal information that we hold and have the ability to access your personal information.
  • You have the right to ask us to correct personal information that you believe is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete personal information that you believe is incomplete.
  • You have the right to request deletion of your personal information under certain conditions of this policy.
  • You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data by us.
  • You have the right to request a restriction of the processing of your Personal Data. If you restrict the processing of your Personal Data, we may store it but will not process it further.
  • You have the right to receive a copy of the information we have about you in a structured, machine-readable, and commonly used format.
  • You also have the right to withdraw your consent at any time if Schwanna Legal GmbH has relied on your consent to process your personal data.
You have the right to complain to a data protection authority about our collection and use of your personal information. For more information, please contact your local data protection authority in the European Economic Area (EEA).

How to exercise these rights

All requests to exercise your rights may be directed to Schwanna Legal GmbH using the contact information provided in this document. Please note that we may ask you to verify your identity before responding to such requests. Your request must include sufficient information to allow us to verify that you are the person you claim to be or that you are the authorized representative of such person. You must provide sufficient information to allow us to properly understand the request and respond to it. We will not be able to respond to your request or provide you with personal information unless we first verify your identity or your authority to make such a request and confirm that the personal information relates to you.

Children data protection

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 18. If you are under 18, please do not submit any personal information through the Site and Services. We encourage parents and guardians to monitor their children's Internet use and to help enforce this policy by instructing their children never to submit Personal Information through the Site and Services without their permission. If you have reason to believe that a child under the age of 18 has provided us with Personal Information through the Site and Services, please contact us. You must also be at least 16 years old to consent to the processing of your Personal Data in your country (in some countries, we may allow your parent or guardian to do so on your behalf).

Cookies

The Website and Services use "cookies" to personalize your online experience. A cookie is a text file that is placed on your hard drive by a website server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.

We may use cookies to collect, store and track information for statistical purposes to operate the Site and Services. You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually change your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. To learn more about cookies and how to manage them, visit internetcookies.org.

Do Not Track Signals

Some browsers have a "Do Not Track" feature that signals the websites you visit that you do not want your online activities tracked. Tracking is not the same as using or collecting information in connection with a website. For these purposes, tracking refers to the collection of personally identifiable information from consumers who use or visit a website or online service as they move across different websites over time. The Site and Services do not track their visitors over time and across third-party websites. However, some third-party websites may track your browsing activity when they offer content to you, which enables them to customize the experience for you.

Advertising

We may allow certain third party companies to help us tailor advertisements that we believe may be of interest to users and to collect and use other data about user activity on the Site. These companies may deliver advertisements that may place cookies and otherwise track user behavior.

Links to other resources

The Site and Services contain links to other resources that are not owned or controlled by us. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other resources or third parties. We encourage you to be aware when you leave the Site and Services and to read the privacy statements of each and every resource that may collect personal information.

Information Protection

We secure the information you provide on computer servers in a controlled, secure environment, protected from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. We maintain reasonable administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect against unauthorized access, use, alteration or disclosure of personal information under our control and custody. However, no data transmission over the Internet or a wireless network can be guaranteed. Therefore, while we strive to protect your Personal Information, you acknowledge that (i) there are security and privacy limitations of the Internet that are beyond our control; (ii) the security, integrity and confidentiality of all information and data exchanged between you and the Site and Services cannot be guaranteed; and (iii) such information and data, despite our best efforts, may be viewed or tampered with by third parties during transmission.

Data breach

In the event that we become aware that the security of the Site and Services has been compromised or User Personal Data has been disclosed to uninvolved third parties as a result of external activities, including, but not limited to, security attacks or fraud, we reserve the right to take reasonably appropriate actions, including, but not limited to, investigating and reporting, and notifying and cooperating with law enforcement authorities. In the event of a data breach, we will use reasonable efforts to notify affected individuals if we believe there is a reasonable risk of harm to the user as a result of the breach or if notification is otherwise required by law. If we do so, we will send you an email.

Changes and extensions

We reserve the right to change this Policy or its terms with respect to the Site and Services from time to time at our discretion and will notify you of any material changes to the way we treat personal information. When we do so, we will send you an email to notify you. We may also notify you in other ways at our discretion, such as through the contact information you provide to us. Any updated version of this Policy will be effective immediately upon posting of the revised Policy, unless otherwise specified. Your continued use of the Site and Services after the effective date of the revised Policy (or other action specified at that time) will be deemed to be your consent to such changes. However, we will not, without your consent, use your Personal Information in a manner materially different from that stated at the time your Personal Information was collected.

Agreement with this policy

You acknowledge that you have read this Policy and agree to all of the terms and conditions contained herein. By accessing and using the Site and Services, you agree to be bound by this Policy. If you do not agree to the terms of this Policy, you are not authorized to access or use the Site and Services.

Contact

If you would like to contact us to learn more about this policy, or if you would like to contact us to resolve a matter regarding individual rights and your personal information, you may email us using our contact form on our website.

This document was last updated on December 22, 2022.