1. CONCLUSION OF THE CONTRACT

1) These Terms and Conditions apply only vis-a-vis entrepreneurs as defined in Section 14 of the German Civil Code (BGB), legal persons under public law and special funds under public law. Conclusion of this Contract with consumers is excluded.
2) These Terms and Conditions shall also apply in cases where we execute this Contract without reservation in the knowledge of conditions of the Customer that contradict, deviate from or exceed the scope of this Agreement.
3) Our offers are subject to change without notice. By accepting one of our offers, the Customer declares a binding intention to order the respective services. We are entitled to accept the contractual offer concurrent with the Customer’s order within a period of one week. This acceptance may be declared either explicitly or through the initiation of order processing.

2. SUBJECT OF THE CONTRACT, SCOPE OF SERVICE OF THE SOFTWARE

1) The subject of these General Terms and Conditions is the provision, on the basis of a lease, of the Empolis Content Express software (hereinafter referred to as “the Software”) for use via the Internet by the Customer.
2) The scope of service of the Software arises from any individual agreements existing between the Parties as well as from the product description, which can be accessed at www.content.express. No further agreement on objective requirements for the Software shall occur; it is hereby excluded. The Software shall thus correspond to the requirements to be placed on it insofar as these satisfy the conditions of the product description. In particular, no other public statements on the characteristics of the Software shall be used to determine its objective condition.

3. PROVISION OF THE SOFTWARE

1) We shall provide the Software, including storage space for saving user data in the scope agreed with the Customer, via the Internet as specified by this Contract and starting on the date agreed with the Customer.
2) At the Customer’s request and on the basis of a separate agreement, we shall provide training on the set-up, operation and use of the Software, or shall set up the Software completely, in accordance with the agreements concluded with the Customer.
3) We use a server located within the European Economic Area to provide and run the Software. At a bare minimum, the Software and the servers used are protected against unauthorized access, data loss and data eavesdropping in accordance with the security precautions that are typical for products and services of this type.
4) The Customer has no entitlement to a specific server for their sole use; instead, we may have several instances of the Software running on one server, depending on feasibility in terms of the server’s performance capacity and provided our customers’ datasets are maintained separately.
5) A Chrome, Firefox or Edge browser in the newest or at least the most recent previous version must be used in order to utilize the Software. Depending on the respective scope of functionality, further Rich Client software components may be necessary. These may entail further hardware and operating system requirements.

4. NEW VERSIONS OF THE SOFTWARE, QUALITY ASSURANCE

1) We are entitled to make adjustments to the scope of service of the Software at any time, provided said adjustments are reasonable for the Customer and especially if the scope of service is expanded or the adjustment in question is necessary in order to meet statutory requirements or guarantee security of operation for the Software. We shall make new versions of the Software available at our discretion; this does not apply to the elimination of defects.
2) We are entitled to use the data stored in the Software by the Customer for the quality assurance of new versions of the Software before making said new versions available to the Customer (e.g., test runs), and to train the Software using this data in order to provide new functionalities (e.g., training for the automatic recognition of new data categories).
3) We shall inform the Customer within an appropriate period of time of any significant changes to the Software where said changes could result in changes or restrictions to the usual applications of the Software.

5. CUSTOMIZATION OF THE SOFTWARE

1) At the Customer’s request, we will provide them with offers for individualized extensions of the Software within the scope of the options planned by us (“Cloud Extensions”). We shall indicate to the Customer, based on our best judgment, if the incorporation of the desired customization into new versions of the Software is not possible automatically, but only manually and in exchange for remuneration to be agreed separately.
2) For the term of this Contract, the Customer shall acquire the same rights to customizations as to the Software. In all other respects we hold all rights to the customizations.

6. DATA SECURITY

1) The data stored by the customer using the Software is secured each calendar day between 10:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. (UTC).
2) The data is secured every day via snapshots, each of which is stored for 30 days.

7. AVAILABILITY OF THE SOFTWARE

1) Unless stipulated otherwise by individual agreement, the Software offers a Software availability at the handover point (interface to Internet in the computing center where the Software is running) of 99.5% per Contract month. The Parties hereby agree that the term “Software availability” shall be defined as the ability to use the software at the handover point.
2) The following periods are not taken into consideration when determining whether the assurance of availability was upheld:
a) Disruptions or impairments of the technical infrastructure needed for the use or execution of the Software or of the Internet, unless we or our agents are responsible.
b) Planned non-availability of the Software for the purpose of maintenance work, primarily at low-use times, provided we announce this at least one week in advance. In urgent cases when required in order to guarantee the security of the Software systems and the data stored therein (e.g., important security updates), maintenance windows may be announced and implemented with an advance notice period appropriate to each particular case.

8. USE OF THE SOFTWARE BY THE CUSTOMER

1) The Customer shall receive simple (non-sublicensable and non-transferrable) rights to the Software, limited to the term of this Contract, for use of the Software in accordance with the Contract. Granting of the possibility of use to employees of group companies as defined in Sections 15 and 16 of the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG) is not permitted unless expressly agreed otherwise with us.
2) The Customer shall take usual and appropriate precautions to prevent unauthorized use of the Software via the user names and passwords they use. The Customer shall inform us immediately if they suspect that the login data and/or passwords may have become known to unauthorized persons and shall, to the extent possible, immediately take security measures against such access by changing the respective password(s). The Customer shall immediately delete or change the login data of any employees who leave their company.
3) In the case of misuse of the user names and/or passwords they use, the Customer shall bear the burden of proving that they are not responsible for such misuse. In the event that we have access to the relevant proof, we are obligated to inform the Customer accordingly.
4) The Customer may not use the Software for illegal purposes or in violation of third-party rights. In particular, they shall refrain from any use that could leave us open to accusations of violating applicable laws or third-party rights. They shall hold us harmless with respect to all relevant, justified third-party claims, including the reasonable costs of legal investigation and representation.
5) The Customer is obligated to report any defective contractual services to us immediately, in particular any defects in the Software. Should the Customer fail to report defects promptly for reasons for which the Customer is responsible, this shall constitute contributory culpability or contributory negligence. If we are unable to remedy the situation as a result of a failure to report or delay in reporting, the Customer shall not be entitled to decrease the agreed amount of remuneration in whole or in part, to request compensation for the damage resulting from the defects, or to terminate this Contract for cause without notice. The Customer must demonstrate that they are not responsible for said failure to report.
6) If the Customer violates the above provisions for reasons for which they are responsible, we may block their access to the Software or to usage data if such action can demonstrably remedy the violation. To the extent reasonable for us, we are entitled to request that the Customer remedy the violation and to set an appropriate deadline for them to do so.
7) If the Customer continues to violate or repeatedly violates the above provisions despite appropriate warnings and is responsible for said violations, we shall be entitled terminate the Contract for cause without notice.

9. VIOLATION OF PROPERTY RIGHTS

1) We guarantee that the contractual use of the Software will not violate any copyrights or other third-party property rights.
2) In the event that such a violation occurs despite this guarantee, we shall, at our discretion and expense, either acquire the necessary rights or alter the Software in such a way that we can continue to provide the services owed to the Customer without violating third-party rights.

10. REMUNERATION

1) In return for our services, we are entitled to the remuneration agreed with the Customer. We shall bill for said remuneration in advance for each contractual year.
2) We are entitled to send invoices to the Customer in digital form.
3) If the contractually agreed traffic contingents are exceeded, we reserve the right to charge for the actual amount of data used by the user in accordance with our current price list.

11. NON-FULFILLMENT OF PRIMARY SERVICE OBLIGATIONS OWED BY US

1) If we are delinquent with the initial provision of the Software, the Customer is entitled to withdraw from the Contract if an appropriately set grace period passes without results, i.e., if we do not make the agreed Software functionality initially available within the grace period.
2) If we fail, either wholly or in part, to meet the obligations owed by us following the provision of the Software in an operation-ready state, and if the owed availability of the Software is not met for a Contract month, the agreed monthly flat fee for use shall be decreased on a pro-rated basis for the period during which the Software was not available to the Customer in the agreed scope.
3) We must prove that we are not responsible for the cause of the delayed provision or the failure to meet the owed availability. If the Customer fails to report the lack of Software availability to us and we deny knowledge of same, the Customer must prove that we have otherwise become aware of the lack of availability.

12. WARRANTY CLAIMS

1) Unless otherwise agreed below, the statutory provisions apply.
2) We are responsible within the limits of the law for selecting the type of subsequent performance.
3) The statute of limitations for warranty claims is one year. This does not apply for liability claims due to defects, which are governed by the provision on liability.
4) We assume no liability, regardless of culpability, for damages pursuant to Section 536a of the German Civil Code (BGB) resulting from defects that were present upon conclusion of the Contract.

13. LIABILITY

1) Liability for intent and gross negligence is unlimited.
2) In the event of simple negligent breach of fundamental contractual obligations, liability shall be limited to the cost of foreseeable damages typical for the Contract. A fundamental contractual obligation is an obligation whose fulfillment is essential to the proper execution of the Contract and whose observance the other Party can typically expect to be upheld. The statute of limitations for claims pursuant to this paragraph is one year.
3) The liability for foreseeable damages typical for the Contract pursuant to Paragraph 2 shall be limited to six times the fee for use paid by the Customer in the respective month.
4) Paragraph 2 does not apply for claims due to injury to body, health or life, in cases of fraud, assumption of a guarantee, liability for initial incapability or reasonable impossibility or claims pursuant to the German Product Liability Act.
5) Otherwise, liability – on any legal basis – is excluded.
1) Liability for intent and gross negligence is unlimited.
2) In the event of simple negligent breach of fundamental contractual obligations, liability shall be limited to the cost of foreseeable damages typical for the Contract. A fundamental contractual obligation is an obligation whose fulfillment is essential to the proper execution of the Contract and whose observance the other Party can typically expect to be upheld. The statute of limitations for claims pursuant to this paragraph is one year.
3) The liability for foreseeable damages typical for the Contract pursuant to Paragraph 2 shall be limited to six times the fee for use paid by the Customer in the respective month.
4) Paragraph 2 does not apply for claims due to injury to body, health or life, in cases of fraud, assumption of a guarantee, liability for initial incapability or reasonable impossibility or claims pursuant to the German Product Liability Act.
5) Otherwise, liability – on any legal basis – is excluded.

14. TERM, TERMINATION

1) The contractual relationship shall enter into force upon conclusion of the Contract, with a fixed term of one year. During the fixed term, the Contract may only be terminated for good cause.
2) Termination is possible at the end of each fixed term within a notice period of three months. If no notice of termination is given, the fixed term shall be renewed for an additional year in each case.
3) The right to termination for good cause remains unaffected. In particular, the following reasons shall be considered good cause where they apply to the other Party:
a) The violation of fundamental contractual obligations by the other Party, providing said violation is not remedied despite a warning and the setting of an appropriate grace period. No warning or grace period shall be required in situations where issuing said information would constitute unreasonable effort.
b) Application by Party itself for the initiation of insolvency proceedings, the initiation of insolvency proceedings against the Party by a third party, or rejection of such an initiation due to a lack of assets.
c) Complete default on payment by the Customer for two consecutive months or default on payment for a period of more than two months, provided the Customer is in default on payment with amounts that are equivalent in total to the remuneration for at least two months.

15. DISCLOSURE OF CUSTOMER DATA ON TERMINATION OF THE CONTRACT

On termination of the Contract, the Software shall be deactivated for the Customer, and the Customer data stored in it shall be archived for a period of 30 days. During this period, the Customer may request a copy of their data for download. Once this 30-day period has passed, the data shall be deleted, even if it has not yet been downloaded by this time. The Customer data shall be made available in the format in which it is stored in the Software.

16. CONFIDENTIALITY

1) We hereby undertake to maintain confidentiality with regard to the Customer’s trade secrets. The term “trade secrets” is hereby defined as information or knowledge possessed by the Customer that is made known to us within the context of this Contract (e.g., through storage of data in the Software). It is not necessary for a trade secret to be designated as such.
2) The following types of trade secrets are not subject to confidentiality: (i) those that were generally known at the time of transmission or – through no fault on our part – become generally known thereafter; (ii) those that were already legally known to us at the time of disclosure and were not subject to a confidentiality obligation at this time; (iii) those that are legally made known to us by third parties after the time of transmission and are not subject to a confidentiality obligation, either on our part vis-a-vis the third party or on the part of the third party itself vis-a-vis the Customer; (iv) those that have been developed by us independently without any use of confidential Customer information; (v) those that become known to us through the permissible analysis of publicly obtainable services or Customer products; (vi) those that must be disclosed due to compelling provisions or decrees of law, the regulatory authorities or the courts.
3) We are obligated to keep the Customer’s trade secrets confidential and to refrain from making it possible for any third parties to gain knowledge thereof. We shall only grant access to the Customer’s trade secrets to those employees and third parties that are familiar with the provision of services under this Contract and have undertaken, at bare minimum, to maintain confidentiality in accordance with the specifications of this Contract. Upon request by the Customer, we must prove that this is the case.
4) This Confidentiality Agreement shall not be affected by termination of this Contract.
5) With regard to ensuring the protection of personal data, the order processing contract concluded – in some cases separately – between the parties shall apply. If no such contract exists, we undertake to observe the applicable legal provisions with respect to data protection.

17. DATA PROTECTION

If the Customer wishes to store or process personal data in the Software, we are prepared to conclude our Contract by means of order processing pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR.

18. FINAL PROVISIONS

1) This Contract contains all of the Parties’ agreements concerning the subject of the Contract. Any secondary agreements that differ from the Contract and any previous agreements on the subject of the Contract are hereby rendered ineffective.
2) Any changes or addenda to this Contract must be made in writing except where a more stringent form is required by law. This also applies to any waiver of requirements of form.
3) Should any provision of this Contract be or become void, ineffective or unenforceable, either in whole or in part, or if a provision that is necessary has not been included, the effectiveness and enforceability of all the remaining provisions of this Contract shall not be affected.
4) This Contract is governed solely by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany. Except where mandatory, private international law does not apply.
5) The sole place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising in connection with this Contract shall be our registered office. We are also entitled to file claims against the Customer at one of their statutory places of jurisdiction.