{"id":2578,"date":"2025-11-13T18:50:23","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T16:50:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hartmann-keutner.de\/?page_id=2578"},"modified":"2025-11-27T10:14:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T08:14:15","slug":"informationen-zum-datenschutz","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hartmann-keutner.de\/en\/informationen-zum-datenschutz\/","title":{"rendered":"Information on data privacy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Privacy notice<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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November 26, 2025<\/p>

This English version of the privacy policy is a machine translation<\/strong> provided for your convenience. In the event of any discrepancies or inconsistencies between the English version and the original German version, the German version shall prevail and be legally binding<\/strong>. We recommend referring to the German version for the most.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A. Scope of application<\/h1>

Thank you for your interest in Hartmann + Keutner Partnerschaft von Patentanw\u00e4lten mbB (\u201cHartmann + Keutner,\u201d \u201cwe,\u201d or \u201cus\u201d). With this privacy policy, we would like to provide you, as the person affected by the processing of personal data (\u201cyou,\u201d \u201cclient,\u201d or \u201cuser\u201d), with comprehensive information about how we handle your personal data.<\/p>

1. Terms<\/h2>

a. \u201cPersonal data\u201d<\/h3>

is any information that can be used to directly or indirectly identify a natural person or that is suitable for making a person identifiable. For example, a person can be identified by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, or by reference to individual physical, physiological, economic, or cultural identity characteristics. For personal reference, it is sufficient that individualization is possible by means of \u201csorting.\u201d It is therefore possible that we process personal data without knowing your identity (e.g., when we process purely technical data such as your IP address).<\/p>

b. \u201cData subject\u201d<\/h3>

is a natural person who is identified or identifiable.<\/p>

c. \u201cRestriction of processing\u201d<\/h3>

is the marking of stored personal data with the aim of restricting its future processing.<\/p>

d. \u201eProfiling\u201c<\/h3>

is any type of automated processing of personal data that consists of using this personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to a natural person, in particular to analyze or predict aspects relating to the work performance, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behavior, location, or movements of that natural person.<\/p>

e. \u201cController\u201d<\/h3>

is the natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data; where the purposes and means of such processing are determined by Union or Member State law, the controller or the specific criteria for its nomination may be provided for by Union or Member State law.<\/p>

f. \u201cProcessor\u201d<\/h3>

is a natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body that processes personal data on behalf of the controller.<\/p>

g. \u201cRecipient\u201d<\/h3>

a natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body to whom personal data are disclosed, whether a third party or not. However, public authorities which may receive personal data in the framework of a particular inquiry in accordance with Union or Member State law shall not be regarded as recipients; the processing of those data by those public authorities shall be in compliance with the applicable data protection rules according to the purposes of the processing.<\/p>

h. \u201cThird party\u201d<\/h3>

is a natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body, other than the data subject, controller, processor, and persons who, under the direct authority of the controller or processor, are authorized to process personal data.<\/p>

i. \u201cConsent\u201d<\/h3>

of the data subject means any freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous indication of the data subject's wishes by which he or she, by a statement or by a clear affirmative action, signifies agreement to the processing of personal data relating to him or her.<\/p>

j. \u201cProcessing\u201d<\/h3>

personal data means any operation or set of operations which is performed on personal data or on sets of personal data. It does not matter whether the data processing is automated or not. Processing may include, for example, the collection, recording, organization, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure, and destruction of personal data.<\/p>

2. Scope of application<\/h2>

This privacy policy applies to the processing of your personal data when
\u2022 you visit our website www.hartmann-keutner.de or our social media pages,
\u2022 you contact us by mail, email, or phone,
\u2022 we process your personal data in connection with the handling of a mandate,
\u2022 we advertise (e.g., online, by mail, or by phone), or
\u2022 we process your personal data in the course of ongoing business transactions.<\/p>

B. General information<\/h1>

1. Responsible person<\/h2>

We are responsible for the processing of personal data described in this privacy policy. This means that Hartmann + Keutner determines the purposes and means of processing your personal data. If you have any questions regarding data protection, please contact us as follows:
Hartmann + Keutner Partnerschaft von Patentanw\u00e4lten mbB
Kurf\u00fcrstenstra\u00dfe 20
47906 Kempen
Germany
Phone: +49 176 353 67 447
Email: mail@hartmann-keutner.de<\/p>

2. Purposes and legal bases of processing<\/h2>

The purposes and legal bases for processing your personal data may vary from case to case. The purposes are often related to the legal bases under the General Data Protection Regulation (\u201cGDPR\u201d) and the Federal Data Protection Act (\u201cBDSG\u201d), which we explain briefly here:<\/p>

a. Fulfillment of a contract or in the run-up to a contract<\/h3>

We process your personal data in order to fulfill contractual or quasi-contractual obligations towards you, or to provide you with information in advance of a possible contract conclusion at your request, e.g., to advise you on our services or to respond to inquiries. The legal basis for processing is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR (DSGVO).<\/p>

b. Compliance with a legal obligation<\/h3>

We are subject to certain legal obligations that require the processing of your personal data. For example, professional and tax law obligations require certain personal data to be stored for specified periods of time. The legal basis for processing is Art. 6 (1) (c) GDPR (DSGVO).<\/p>

c. Legitimate interests<\/h3>

We also process your personal data when we pursue legitimate interests. These may be our own interests or those of third parties (such as our clients). Legitimate interests can be of various kinds (e.g., legal or economic interests). Legitimate interests can justify processing if they outweigh your conflicting interests or fundamental rights and freedoms that require the protection of your personal data. The legal basis for processing is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (DSGVO).<\/p>

d. Consent<\/h3>

In some cases, we process your personal data on the basis of your consent. If we need your consent, we will inform you in advance about which personal data we intend to use and how we will use it. If you have given us your consent to collect, use, or disclose your personal data in a specific manner, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future. You are not obliged to give us your consent. Please note that without your consent, we may not be able to provide certain services that require data processing. The legal basis for your consent is Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (DSGVO).
If we process special categories of personal data based on your consent, the legal basis is Art. 9 (2) (a) GDPR (DSGVO).<\/p>

e. Assertion, exercise, or defense of legal claims<\/h3>

Special categories of personal data that we process within the scope of the mandate serve to assert, exercise, or defend the legal claims of our clients. The legal basis is Art. 9 (2) (f) GDPR.
Detailed information on the respective purposes of processing can be found under the respective processing activities in Section C.<\/p>

3. Storage period<\/h2>

We only process your personal data for as long as is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected. This also applies to the fulfillment of our legitimate interests or legal storage and documentation obligations that we must observe. When determining the retention period required in each individual case, we take into account the scope, nature, and sensitivity of the data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure, the purposes for which we process your personal data, and the applicable legal provisions.
The statutory retention and documentation obligations are generally between two and ten years and arise, for example, from Section 147 of the German Fiscal Code (Abgabenordnung) or Section 44 of the German Patent Attorney Regulations (Patentanwaltsordnung).
We will carry out the deletion ourselves within a certain cycle, unless there is a particular interest in continued storage in individual cases, e.g., in the event of cyber attacks.
If legal storage and documentation obligations or the protection of our legitimate interests require longer storage, for example in the event of legal disputes, your personal data will also be stored and processed for a longer period of time.<\/p>

4. Disclosure to third parties<\/h2>

As is customary in the course of business, we also pass on your personal data to third parties depending on the processing:<\/p>

a. Service providers<\/h3>

We share your personal data with contractors and service providers who need your personal data to provide you with services. These service providers act on our behalf and follow our instructions regarding your personal data. We enter into appropriate confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements with service providers. Service providers include, for example, web hosting and maintenance providers, software and technology support providers, email communication providers, data storage providers, shipping service providers, and developers.<\/p>

b. Consultant<\/h3>

In some cases, we also use the services of providers who perform their services independently and are not strictly bound by our instructions. This is the case, for example, with tax advisors, lawyers, banks, payment service providers, and similar parties. They process your personal data themselves as controllers.<\/p>

c. Business partners<\/h3>

In some cases, we share your personal data with our business partners, who also use it for their own purposes. Although these business partners also work on our behalf, they may also pursue other interests with the data (e.g., when subcontracting (patent) attorneys abroad). They are also independent controllers.<\/p>

d. Public authorities<\/h3>

We may disclose your personal data to courts, law enforcement agencies, criminal prosecution authorities, other authorities and government agencies, and other public bodies. This will be done either when required by law or when we reasonably believe that such action is necessary to:
\u2022 comply with applicable laws and respond to requests from law enforcement agencies,
\u2022 detect or respond to potential civil or criminal violations, such as violations of agreements or laws, or
\u2022 otherwise protect the rights, property, or personal safety of us, our team members, or others.<\/p>

e. Third parties involved in the mandate<\/h3>

In the course of handling your mandate, it will regularly be necessary to pass on your data to third parties involved so that we can examine and enforce your legal claims. These may include, for example, legal expenses insurers, witnesses, or other parties involved in the proceedings.<\/p>

f. With your consent<\/h3>

We may share your personal data with third parties or publish it if you give your consent. For example, with your consent, we may publish your experience report on our website or in service-related publications.
Detailed information about the service providers we use can be found in the appendix.<\/p>

5. Origin of personal data<\/h2>

In most cases, we collect personal data directly from you, e.g. when you communicate with us or share documents with us. As with most digital platforms, we and our third-party providers automatically collect your personal data when you use our services.
We may receive personal data from third parties, such as other parties involved in proceedings or authorities.
In some cases, we collect your personal data from third parties, for example when your employer provides us with your contact details as a contact person.<\/p>

6. Transfers to third countries<\/h2>

As a matter of principle, we take care to keep your personal data as local as possible. However, in order to provide you and our clients with the best possible service, we also use service providers and business partners who process data in so-called third countries or access it from such countries (e.g., to perform maintenance work). Third countries are countries outside the European Economic Area.
For some of these third countries, there is an adequacy decision by the European Commission. This may apply either to the entire country (e.g., the United Kingdom) or to the respective company (e.g., companies certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework). With such a decision, the European Commission determines that a level of data protection equivalent to that in the EU can be expected. An overview of the adequacy decisions can be found here<\/a>.
Where no such adequacy decision exists, we ensure that your personal data is still subject to an adequate level of protection by applying one or more of the following security mechanisms:
\u2022 We conclude the standard contractual clauses adopted by the European Commission, in conjunction with appropriate additional safeguards where necessary.
Where no such adequacy decision exists, we ensure that your personal data is still subject to an adequate level of protection by applying one or more of the following safeguards:
\u2022 We conclude the standard contractual clauses adopted by the European Commission, in conjunction with appropriate additional measures where necessary. The decision and the model text of the standard contractual clauses can be found here. <\/a>
\u2022 The transfer is carried out within the framework of appropriate safeguards, such as\n binding corporate rules.<\/p>

7. Obligation to provide your personal data<\/h2>

There is no contractual or legal obligation to provide us with your personal data. However, if you wish to contact us or use our services, certain information may be required so that we can process your request or mandate.<\/p>

8. Automated decision-making and profiling<\/h2>

You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, if
\u2022 the decision is not necessary for the conclusion or performance of a contract,
\u2022 it is not required by mandatory legal provisions, or
\u2022 it is not based on your explicit consent. Hartmann + Keutner does not use automated decision-making processes, including profiling, unless we have explicitly informed you about such processes.<\/p>

C. Information on individual processing activities<\/h1>

We collect and process various personal data from you depending on the specific processing situations.<\/p>

1. Website<\/h2>

a. Visiting our website (log data)<\/h3>

When you visit our website, we collect log data.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Categories of personal data<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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