Impressum

The German-language Wikipedia has its own Impressum. There is no equivalent for the English-language Wikipedia, though the German Impressum cross-links to the General disclaimer.

An impressum (from Latin impressum, "the impressed, engraved, pressed in, impression", engl. imprint) is the term given to a legally mandated statement of the ownership and authorship of a document, which must be included in books, newspapers, magazines[1] and websites[2] published in Germany and certain other German-speaking countries, such as Austria and Switzerland.

There is no equivalent legislation in English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, and therefore no consistent legal term is used in English-language media. The closest English terms for impressum are:

None of these terms is an exact replacement in all contexts. The terms "masthead" and "colophon" apply to printed publications only and are not commonly used on English-language websites, while "site notice" is website-specific and "legal notice" or "legal disclosure" are rarely found in printed works. An "imprint" in publishing may also mean a brand name under which a work is published,[6] and so may not be understood to mean an Impressum.

Webpages

The Telemediengesetz (German meaning "Telemedia Act") requires that German websites must disclose information about the publisher, including their name and address, telephone number or e-mail address, trade registry number, VAT number, and other information depending on the type of company.[7] German websites are defined as being published by individuals or organisations that are based in Germany, so an Impressum is required regardless of whether a site is in the .de domain.

This law has created privacy concerns for individuals who maintain blogs or personal homepages.[8][9][10] The law has also caused lawyers to scrutinise websites for this information and send cease-and-desist letters to their maintainers in case it is missing.[11] Due to this law Facebook has added a section in the public page settings for adding an Impressum.[12]

References

  1. de:Presserecht, Retrieved 28 April 2015
  2. de:Telemediengesetz, Retrieved 28 April 2015
  3. Duden: "(Buchw.): Vermerk über Verleger, Drucker, auch Redaktionen u.a. in Büchern, Zeitungen u. Zeitschriften"
  4. "Printer’s Imprint Act 1961". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  5. "Printers Imprint" (Microsoft Word). British Printing Industries Federation. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  6. "English definition of "imprint"". Cambridge Dictionaries Online. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  7. "Telemediengesetz (TMG) § 5 Allgemeine Informationspflichten". gesetze-im-internet.de. Bundesministerium der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  8. pmkpmk. "Legally required "Webimpressum" (Web Imprint) in Germany". WebmasterWorld. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  9. Kirsten. "To the webmasters here: Do you post an imprint/impressum?". Pet of the Day. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  10. afghancalendar. "Savannah project => German law, "Impressum" (imprint) necessary?". lists.gnu.org. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  11. MMarks. "U.S. comment on ‘Impressum’/German lawyers’ cease and desist hunt". Transblawg. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  12. "How do I add an Impressum to my Page?". Facebook. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
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