Set up right.

People who come to me with an IT law matter are usually in one of three situations. A contract is about to be concluded, and nobody knows exactly what it needs to cover. A project is already under way and getting out of hand: deadlines slip, the scope grows, acceptance moves further and further away. Or it is about data, such as a request for access, an erasure that does not happen, or a claim for damages under the General Data Protection Regulation.

I advise and represent providers such as software houses, agencies and IT service providers as well as their customers, out of court and before the courts. The earlier someone with expertise looks at a matter, the more room for manoeuvre there is.

Topics

Software development – development contracts, contract for work or for services, agile projects, acceptance.
Software licences – rights of use, licence models, second-hand software, licence audits by vendors.
SaaS and cloud – terms of use, availability, data access and exit.
Maintenance, support and service levels – response times, contractual penalties, termination.
IT outsourcing and data centre services.
Open source software – licence obligations in use and distribution.
Web design and agency contracts – scope of services, rights to design and code.
T&Cs and terms of use for IT services, also in English.
IT projects in crisis – delay, additional work, change requests, defects, termination and unwinding.
Data protection – access, erasure and damages under the GDPR, also against registers and credit agencies; data processing agreements; privacy notices.
Data law and the Data Act – rights to machine and usage data, data access and data sharing.
IT security, NIS2 and BSIG – obligations of management, contracts with service providers, what to do after a cyberattack.
Church institutions – their own data protection and IT security rules: the EKD Data Protection Act (DSG-EKD) and the EKD IT Security Regulation (ITSVO-EKD), the Catholic Church Data Protection Act (KDG) with its implementing regulation (KDG-DVO), each with its own church data protection supervisory authorities.
Artificial intelligence – obligations under the AI Act, contracts for AI systems, use of AI in the company.
E-commerce – online shops and platform trading, concluding contracts online, right of withdrawal.
Platforms and online services – obligations of platform operators, handling third-party content.
Domains – disputes over domain names, trade mark rights online.
Public procurement and criminal law with an IT connection – as a rule I do not take on mandates in these areas. I am, however, available for supplementary advice on the IT law questions, for example on the specification of services or on technical facts.
Dispute resolution – business mediation and arbitration in IT disputes.

When an IT project goes wrong

IT projects fail frequently, and rarely for technical reasons. Mostly, the rights and obligations of those involved were never clearly allocated. Who owes which result? What is a change, and what was owed anyway? When is something deemed accepted? Who bears the risk if deliverables from third parties fail to arrive?

These questions can be settled in the contract beforehand, with manageable effort. If they remain open, settling them later costs many times as much, and the outcome then depends on what was documented. That is why I review and draft contracts before the project starts wherever possible. For smaller projects an initial consultation may be enough to assess the agreements and identify the points that can become expensive later.

Typical issues

Often the question is

whether a service is to be paid for in addition or was owed anyway,
whether and when an IT contract can be terminated and who bears the costs,
how to deal with a data access request or a claim for damages under the GDPR,
which obligations the AI Act imposes even on companies that merely use AI tools,
what a software contract needs to cover, even if the project seems simple.

How to get started

Send me the contract, the offer or a short description by e-mail. If a deadline is running, for example for a termination or a data access request under the GDPR, please get in touch as early as possible. You can write to me in English or German. Procedure and fees, including for the initial contact, are set out under Services and fees.

About me and my qualification: Specialist lawyer for information technology law (Fachanwalt für Informationstechnologierecht). Related services: Unfair competition law (advertising and cease-and-desist letters in online retail), Intellectual property, Training.