Web designers, developers and digital agencies abroad that work for clients in Germany face three recurring disputes, the acceptance of the work, the rights in the design and code, and liability for the legal compliance of the website they deliver. German law treats a website project as a contract for work, which means the client can refuse payment until acceptance and can demand rectification of defects for two years. We draft terms for web and digital projects for a fixed fee of 777 EUR.
What the fixed fee of 777 EUR covers
The general terms for design, development and maintenance work with the clauses on briefing and specifications, change requests, milestones and acceptance under § 640 BGB, remuneration and payment on account, usage rights and the retention of rights until payment, references and portfolio use, hosting and maintenance, warranty and liability, and the clear statement that legal compliance of content and texts is the client’s responsibility. The texts are delivered in English and German, ready to publish. We check the integration into your quotations and project contracts and the online booking process if you offer packages online, because terms that are not validly included are not part of the contract under § 305 Abs. 2 BGB. One round of revisions after your comments is included, and as attorneys we are liable for the result.
What you should know
Under German copyright law the designer keeps the copyright and grants usage rights. If the terms are silent, the client receives only the rights needed for the purpose of the contract, which leads to disputes about later use and modifications. A clear grant of rights, conditional on full payment, protects both sides. Maintenance and hosting are continuing obligations with their own termination rules, which we separate from the project contract.
Not included
Individual contracts for large projects and the terms for software as a service, see services B2B. The privacy policy and legal notice for your website are covered by the website privacy compliance package, reduced to 150 EUR when ordered together.
Prices are net attorney fees. For business clients outside Germany no German VAT is added.
How to instruct us
Send us the details through the form below. You will receive our confirmation and, where required, our questions in English within one working day. We correspond in English throughout the mandate.
The German-language description of this offer, written for clients in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, is available at AGB für Webdesigner und Webagenturen. Please note that this link takes you to our German website matutis.de. You do not have to use it, everything you need to instruct us for the agency terms is on this page, and you are welcome to write to us in English at any time.