Legal notice

1. Limitation of liability

The content of this website has been created with the utmost care. However, the provider assumes no responsibility for the content provided being correct, complete and up-to-date. The use of content on the website is at the user's own risk. Contributions identified by name reflect the opinion of the respective author and not always the opinion of the provider. The mere use of the website does not result in any contractual relationship whatsoever between the user and the provider.

2. External links

This website contains external links to third party websites. The respective operators are liable for these websites. When providing the external links for the first time, the provider has checked the third party content for possible legal violations. No legal violations were apparent at that time. The provider has no influence whatsoever on the current and future design and content of the linked pages. The placing of external links does not mean that the provider adopts the contents of the reference or link as their own. Continuous monitoring of the external links is unreasonable for the provider without concrete evidence of legal violations. However, if the provider becomes aware of legal violations, such external links will be deleted immediately.

3. Copyrights and ancillary copyrights

The contents published on this website are subject to German copyright and ancillary copyright law. Each use that is not permitted by German copyright and ancillary copyright law requires the prior written permission of the author or the respective rights holder. This shall apply in particular to the duplication, editing, translation, storage, processing, or reproduction of contents in databases or other electronic media and systems. Third party contents and rights are indicated as such. The unauthorized duplication or reproduction of individual content or complete pages is not permitted and is punishable by law. Only the production of copies and downloads for personal, private and non-commercial use is allowed.
The representation of this website in third party frames is only permissible with written consent.

4. Data protection

When visiting the website of the provider, information about accessing the website (date, time, page viewed) may be stored. This data does not count as personal data, but is made anonymous. It is used exclusively for statistical purposes. It is not passed on to third parties for commercial or non-commercial purposes.
The provider expressly indicates that the data transmission on the Internet (e.g. communication by e-mail) may be subject to security breaches and cannot be comprehensively protected against access by third parties.
The use of contact information from the legal notice section for industrial advertising is explicitly not desired unless the provider had previously given its written consent or a business relationship is already in existence. The provider and any other person named on this website hereby object to any commercial use and reproduction of their data.

5. Use of Google Analytics and Google Remarketing

This website uses Google Analytics and Google Remarketing. These are services of Google Inc. ("Google"). Google Analytics uses so-called "cookies", text files that are stored on your computer which allow an analysis of your use of this website. The information generated by the cookie concerning your use of this website (including your IP address) will be passed on to a Google server in the USA and stored there. Google will then shorten the IP address to the final three digits so that a clear assignment of the IP address is no longer possible. Google conforms to the data protection regulations of the US Safe Harbor Agreement and is registered with the Safe Harbor Program of the US Department of Commerce.

Google will use this information to assess your use of the website in order to compile reports on the website activities for the website operator and to render further services associated with the website use and Internet use. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google's behalf.

Third-party suppliers, including Google, place advertisements on websites on the Internet. Third-party suppliers, including Google, use stored cookies to place advertisements on this website based on a user's prior visits.

Google will not under any circumstances link your IP address with other Google data. The data collection and storage may be objected to at any time and with effect for the future. You can deactivate the use of cookies by Google by accessing the page to deactivate Google advertisements. Alternatively, users can deactivate the use of cookies by third-party suppliers by accessing the deactivation page of the Network Advertising Initiative.

However, please note that if you do this, you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. Through the use of this website, you express your consent to the processing of data collected by Google about you in the manner described above and for the purposes described above.

The data collection and storage may be objected to at any time and with effect for the future. You can find further information on the Google regulations here.

6. Google +1 privacy policy

The Google privacy policy describes how we handle personal information of the users of Google products and services. They also apply for information that you provide by using the Google +1 button. The following information specifically refers to how we handle data protection when using the +1 button.

Collection and reproduction of information

You can publish information worldwide using the Google +1 button. Via the Google +1 button, you and other users receive personalized content from Google and our partners. Google stores both the information that you have given for +1 content and the information on the page that you have viewed by clicking on +1. Your +1 can, as orientation, be blended together with your profile name and your photo in Google services, such as in search results or in your Google profile, or in other places on websites and advertisements.

Google records information on your +1 activities in order to improve the Google services for you and others. To be able to use the Google +1 button, you require a public Google profile that is visible worldwide and must contain at least the name selected for the profile. This name will be used in all Google services. In some cases, this name may also replace another name that you have used when sharing content via your Google account. The identity of your Google profile may be revealed to users who know your e-mail address or have access to other identifying information of yours.

Use of the information collected

Besides the uses described above, the information provided by you will be used in accordance with the relevant Google privacy policy. We may publish summarized statistics concerning the +1 activities of the user or pass these statistics on to our users and partners, such as publishers, advertisers or associated websites. As such, we may, for example, let a publisher know the following: "10 percent of the users who have given this page a +1 are located in New York".

Your options

On the "+1" tab in your profile, you can view a list of the content to which you have given a +1. You can delete individual content from this list. You can deactivate the display of +1 recommendations on websites of third-party suppliers from people you know. This also applies to advertisements on websites of third-party suppliers. Data such as the most recent +1 you have given is stored locally in your browser. You can access and delete this information in your browser settings.

Further information

Google observes the data protection regulations of the US Safe Harbor Agreement. You can find further information on the US Safe Harbor Provisions and our registration on the the US Department of Commerce website.

Further information on the Google +1 button

KERN uses the Google +1 button on its websites. The most important questions are answered below. 

Does Google record my visits to pages with a +1 button even if I do not perform a +1 action there? 

The +1 button is not used to record your visits on the Internet. Google neither constantly logs your browser history when displaying a +1 button nor does it evaluate your visit to a page with a +1 button in another manner. Nevertheless, Google temporarily stores, normally for about two weeks, certain data on your visit for system maintenance and troubleshooting purposes. However, this data is not structured according to individual profiles, usernames, or URLs. 

Why does Google require this information? 

When you perform a Google search or visit a page with a +1 button, various elements concerning your request are sent to a separate server so that the +1 button is loaded quickly. This information is required for our server to properly process your request. In the rare cases when we must troubleshoot our systems, the information helps Google to find and correct the root of the problem. 

For how long does Google store this information? 

Normally not for longer than two weeks. 

Can this information be accessed by website publishers or advertisers? 

No, this information is only used to maintain and troubleshoot our internal systems. 

Which data is sent to Google by clicking on +1? 

So that your +1 can be stored and made publicly accessible, Google records information about your Google profile, the URL recommended by you, your IP address, and other browser-related information. If you cancel your +1, this information will be deleted. Every +1 you give is listed on the +1 tab in your profile.

7. Facebook plugin privacy statement

Our web presence uses various plugins from Facebook, Facebook Inc., 1601 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA. You can identify these plugins either by the blue "F" of Facebook or because the plugin is marked with the word "Facebook". When you access our website, a connection is established to the Facebook servers via these plugins and data is transmitted. On the one hand, the information that you see will be transferred directly from the servers to your browser and displayed there, and on the other hand, information about your visit to our website will be transmitted to Facebook. If you are logged into Facebook, the transmitted information can be directly assigned to your account. In the case of an interaction with the plugin functions, e.g. clicking on "like" buttons, this information from your browser is forwarded directly to Facebook and stored there. The further processing of this information is at Facebook's discretion; for the corresponding conditions and configuration options, please refer to Facebook's privacy policy. If you wish to prevent your personal data being transmitted to Facebook, log out of Facebook before visiting our website.

8. Dispute resolution

The European Commission provides a platform for online dispute resolution (ODR), which you can find here http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/. Consumers have the option to use this platform to resolve their disputes.

9. Specific conditions of use

Insofar as specific conditions for individual uses of this website deviate from the aforementioned points 1. – 8., this is explicitly indicated in the appropriate place. In such cases, the specific conditions of use shall apply for the respective individual case.