Contracts in IT law – everything always in writing

I feel that 10% of my work as a lawyer consists of people or companies in IT law trusting each other too much. This may sound sad, but especially as a lawyer I can only recommend again and again to put down in writing all things that somehow have to do with the transfer of rights or the payment of money.

This does not always have to be a contract drawn up by a lawyer, but in case of doubt a Whatsapp/email in which the so-called essentialia negotii, the essential parts of the contract, are recorded is also sufficient. As my professor put it in his first semester at the FU Berlin: “Contracts are there to be made”. The saying is simply truer than many young startups, influencers, freelancers, or Esport teams/players, for example, realize.

Even a Mrs. Sahra Wagenknecht would have fewer current problems

Attention, please be sure to note & pass on: For the time being, the website of #Aufstehen can only be found at https://t.co/bachQklOKu https://t.co/tElq70apK7

– Sahra Wagenknecht (@SWagenknecht) December 15, 2018

Allegedly, two managing directors of the company that created the website and domain had worked voluntarily for Aufstehen during the founding phase of the collection movement. Only after the fact would they have presented a large bill. In turn, the agency Dreiwerk claims that everything has been clarified in advance.

As a lawyer, I wonder how a professional agency and a political association, as quite professionals, can not make contracts for something like the figurehead of an association, which in the end leads to a PR disaster in the best case and – in other situations, loss of revenue, in the worst case to a lawsuit.

Better not save at the wrong end!

Author: Marian Härtel

Marian Härtel ist Rechtsanwalt und Fachanwalt für IT-Recht mit einer über 25-jährigen Erfahrung als Unternehmer und Berater in den Bereichen Games, E-Sport, Blockchain, SaaS und Künstliche Intelligenz. Seine Beratungsschwerpunkte umfassen neben dem IT-Recht insbesondere das Urheberrecht, Medienrecht sowie Wettbewerbsrecht. Er betreut schwerpunktmäßig Start-ups, Agenturen und Influencer, die er in strategischen Fragen, komplexen Vertragsangelegenheiten sowie bei Investitionsprojekten begleitet. Dabei zeichnet sich seine Beratung durch einen interdisziplinären Ansatz aus, der juristische Expertise und langjährige unternehmerische Erfahrung miteinander verbindet. Ziel seiner Tätigkeit ist stets, Mandanten praxisorientierte Lösungen anzubieten und rechtlich fundierte Unterstützung bei der Umsetzung innovativer Geschäftsmodelle zu gewährleisten.