§1 Principles
1. The GEOWebforum encourages the exchange of ideas and experiences between interested parties in the area of geo-information. The service is free for all users regardless of whether they only read news or write news themselves.

2. In principal the forum is open to all users. The operators of the forum reserve the right to restrict access to some users, restrict the time, make the contributions visible or to terminate the service. The user has no legal right to continue using the forum.


§2 Registration
1. In order to publicise a contribution in the forum it is necessary to be registered. During registration the user chooses, within limitations allowed a user name. Not allowed are names which may lead to confusion with other users, with other persons, with institutions or names which injure the rights of others.

2. During registration a valid email address must be given to which the password for access to the forum will be sent. The password can be changed after the first connection by the user has been established.

3. The operator can delete an account if it remains unused for a long period of time.


§3 Access data
1. The user should keep the access data secret and prevent it from falling into the hands of third parties which do not have access. If the user is aware that a third part has knowledge of access data he should inform the forum webmaster immediately.


§4 Contents
1. The contents of the contributions should be so chosen that they correspond to the theme or discussion. Cross posting of content similar subject matter over several themes or discussions is forbidden.

2. All users are required to be mutually tolerant of each other. Insulting, humiliating or otherwise illegal expressions against other users is forbidden. This applies also when the user themselves the recipient of unfair or unfitting criticism.

3. Publicised statements must be justifiable. The user is obliged upon request to provide evidence of the correctness of factual statements.

4. It is forbidden to provide illegal content or links to illegal contents in the forum. This concerns in particular radically right or extreme left wing material, encouragement to violence or war, encouragement to racial hate or pornographic or paedophile contents or otherwise youth-endangering contents. It is also forbidden to place anything on the forum which infringes copyrights or other patent rights, or which regulations oppose the protection of personal honour.

5. If external websites, services or products are recommended then these recommendations must provide a clear added value for other readers. The recommendations must not exclusively serve as advertisements for the recommended service. There must be a direct connection to the discussion which is taking place in forum. Therefore it is irrelevant whether the user profits directly or indirectly from the advertisement. The publication of Internet addresses and or offers which directly results in payment to a person (website partner programs, affiliation etc.) is forbidden.


§5 Rejection/deletion of contributions and blockage of user accounts
1. The operators of the forum reserve the rights to reject or delete contributions which offend against these user conditions or which are illegal.

2. The operators of the forum reserve the right to immediately block the user account and access by the user from further participation in the forum when the user is in breach of the conditions of use or if there are suspicions of abuse of the access data by a third party or if otherwise an important reason is present.

3. In the case of the blockage of the user account it is forbidden for the user concerned to register themselves again in the forum and open a new user account without express permission from the operators of the forum.


§6 Responsibility
1. The responsibility for the contents of the contribution in the forum lies solely with the author. The contributions are examined by topic moderators and if necessary rejected or deleted.


§7 Data protection/data security
1. In addition to the access data and email addresses, also connecting data such as IP-addresses or time of last access by the user can be stored. This data can be used for the normal running of the forum, for individual communication with the user, as well as for the identification of users in case of abuse of the forum. With registration the users declare themselves in agreement with this storage.

2. This forum does not always use secured connections for the data communication. The user must be aware that it is in principle possible for hackers to spy using IP spooling or by reading emails and thereby spy on data from individual users.


§8 Use of personal data
1. If the email address of a user is published in the forum it should only be used for personal and individual contact with the user. The sending of unsolicited advertising emails or circulars to this email address and the use of this email in newsletters or similar misuse is strictly forbidden.


§9 Changes in the conditions of use
1. Any changes to the conditions of use are announced to the users by email to the registered email address or online before a new contribution is accepted. The user recognises the changes with the publication of his next contribution. If the user refuses to recognise the new conditions of use they will be excluded from further use of the forum.


§10 Final clauses
1. Special verbal agreements will not be met. Changes and additions must be made in writing in order to be effective.