The German imprint duty under DDG section 5
The list is finite and short. Section 5 of the Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz requires eight categories of information to be kept easily recognisable, directly accessible and permanently available, which means reachable from every page, not filed somewhere. The wording matters more than the contents.
The condition people fail
Nearly every argument about imprints is about the list. The harder part is the sentence around it: the information has to be easily recognisable, directly accessible and permanently available. A link buried in a submenu of a submenu is available and neither recognisable nor direct.
In practice that means one link, named plainly, in the footer of every page. Not inside a contact form, not behind a cookie wall, not on a page that only loads after a script. If a visitor cannot get there from wherever they landed, the condition is not met however complete the contents are.
The eight categories, counted
Section 5 lists 8 categories. 1 name and address of the establishment, and for legal entities also legal form, authorised representatives and capital details where applicable. 2 details allowing rapid electronic contact and direct communication, including an email address. 3 the competent supervisory authority where the service requires authorisation. 4 the register and registration number. 5 for regulated professions, the chamber, the professional title and the applicable rules. 6 the VAT or business identification number where one exists. 7 a statement where a company is in liquidation. 8 additional details for audiovisual media services.
For a typical small business only 4 to 5 of the eight apply, and the whole block fits in about 10 lines. The work is minutes. Getting it wrong is what costs money, because a missing entry is trivially discoverable by anyone looking for a reason to write to you.
Paragraph 2 adds the sentence that catches people out: information duties under other provisions are unaffected. The imprint is a floor, not a ceiling.
| No. | Category | Applies to a small business |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Name, address, legal form, representatives | Always |
| 2 | Email and rapid electronic contact | Always |
| 3 | Competent supervisory authority | Only where authorisation is required |
| 4 | Register and registration number | Where registered |
| 5 | Chamber, professional title, rules | Regulated professions only |
| 6 | VAT or business identification number | Where one exists |
| 7 | Liquidation status | Rarely |
| 8 | Audiovisual media details | Rarely |
How to keep it current
Tie the imprint to the same source as your other listings. If the register number, the address or the representative changes, they change in one place and everything else follows, which is the same discipline that keeps you findable in the first place.
Check it once a year against the register entry itself rather than against your own memory. A changed managing director or a moved seat is exactly the kind of detail that stays wrong for years.
Questions and answers
Does a link in the footer satisfy the requirement?
Is a contact form enough instead of an email address?
Do I need a supervisory authority line?
Is the imprint the whole legal duty?
Sources
- Section 5 Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz (DDG) The eight categories and the three conditions
- Article 10, Ley 34/2002 (LSSI) The Spanish counterpart for comparison
