Impressum law: What you need to know about special website credits

With the advent of social media, our world can at times, feel smaller than ever. Perusing through posts, checking tweets, and reading emails gives us constant insight into what friends and families are up to—even if they are located halfway across the planet.

In an increasingly globalized economy, it’s easy to think that these diminishing barriers also apply to business practices and norms. But even today, variations in legal practices, trade policies, as well as differences in cultures still loom large in shaping our intertwined economic environment. Perhaps no sector showcases some of the challenges such nuances are able to bring forth more than the current surge of web 2.0 companies currently conquering the globe. Google, Facebook, Uber, and Airbnb have all encountered various bumps in the road throughout their campaigns to broaden their reach beyond US borders.

But setting up or expanding an enterprise abroad requires more than just being aware of macro trends, like those mentioned above. It’s often easy to forget the smaller, more workaday details when establishing an international presence. One interesting example that highlights the need for keeping up with such fine points is use of an Impressum (Latin for “printed”) in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Sometimes also translated as “imprint,” an Impressum is a type of notice that indicates basic legal and publication information to the visitor. While there is neither a direct translation nor an exact legal equivalent in the United States, Impressums do share some commonalities with other terms often found in English-speaking countries (e.g. “legal notice” or “site notice”). They can be thought of as website credits, but are generally not the same as an “About us” section on a website. However, website credits aren’t a legal requirement in the US. Most website owners in the US are legally required to add a copyright notice and a privacy policy to their site, while legal disclaimers and terms and conditions are required only for some businesses, e.g. those selling products or services through their website.

Companies, online shops, and online media outlets, such as newspapers, magazines, and journals, wishing to operate within any of these German-speaking countries are obliged to make this information easily available to users. According to German media laws, any website designated to be viewed by the public requires the addition of an imprint. This includes social media networks like Facebook or Twitter. Companies should ensure that their websites and social networks include the same information as part of their imprint.
This requirement also applies to legal entities registered outside of the German-speaking realm that compete on the respective German, Austrian, or Swiss markets. Failing to comply with such regulations can prove to be a burden and may result in written warnings or even fines of up to €50,000 ($54,000), such is the case in Germany.

Below, we have laid out exactly what should appear in an Impressum in Germany. As anchored in the country’s telecommunication legislation, the following elements need to be present in every Impressum, if available.