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As of Februar 2026

General Terms and Conditions for Speakers

§1 Scope, conclusion of contract, definitions

  1. Bitkom e.V. and Bitkom Servicegesellschaft mbH, Albrechtstr. 10, 10117 Berlin (collectively "Bitkom") organize conferences, executive events, and other physical, virtual, or hybrid events ("Event" / "Events").
     
  2. Bitkom offers individuals ("Speaker") the opportunity to participate in Events through speeches, lectures, presentations, panel discussions, or in other ways ("Presentation"). By completing the speaker form (online/by email) in full, acceptance of these in these General Terms and Conditions for Speakers ("GTC"), and submission of the form/email, a speaker agreement is concluded between the Speaker and the respective Bitkom company organizing the Event. The contract also includes the information contained in the speaker form and the details communicated before and after the conclusion of the contract regarding the Event. Unless otherwise stated, the speaker agreement is only valid for one Event; it does not establish an employment relationship.
     
  3. These GTC are an integral part of the speaker agreement and apply exclusively. Deviating, conflicting, or supplementary terms and conditions of the Speaker shall not apply, even without express objection by Bitkom. Individual agreements in the speaker agreement shall take precedence over any provisions to the contrary in these GTC; the remaining provisions of these GTC shall remain unaffected and shall apply accordingly. 

§2 Obligations of the Speaker

  1. Unless otherwise agreed, the Speaker shall give a neutral, provider- and product-independent technical Presentation; the content shall not primarily serve to promote the Speaker's own economic interests or to market the Speaker or his or her company. The Speaker shall present the content in a factual manner and refrain from making statements that Bitkom, at its discretion, considers offensive, harmful, illegal, or unsuitable for participants. The Speaker shall give the Presentation in person, cover the topic to the agreed extent, and shall not deviate from this without Bitkom's consent.
     
  2. The Speaker shall provide Bitkom with all necessary information and content (e.g., personal data, photo, presentation title, abstract, presentation documents) in full, free of charge, and in good time for the preparation and promotion of the Event.
     
  3. Organizational requirements (e.g., technical checks, attendance times, content objectives) must be observed. Otherwise, the Speaker is free to organize the Presentation as they see fit.
     
  4. If the Speaker is unable to appear for urgent reasons or if there are any deviations (e.g., illness, traffic disruptions), they shall inform Bitkom immediately and, if necessary, suggest a replacement speaker. 
     

§3 Rights and obligations of Bitkom, implementation

  1. Bitkom shall grant the Speaker the agreed slot and publicize the Presentation in accordance with the speaker agreement, in particular by publishing a photo, name, and Presentation title on the Event website.
     
  2. Unless otherwise agreed, Bitkom shall not be liable for any remuneration or reimbursement of travel or other expenses.
     
  3. Bitkom shall be entitled to postpone, shorten, temporarily close in whole or in part, or cancel the Event for good cause; if this results in the Presentation being canceled, Bitkom shall inform the Speaker immediately.
     
  4. Bitkom shall be entitled to hold the Event in a different format (e.g., online) and shall give timely notice of this; this shall not constitute grounds for termination and shall not affect the obligation to give the Presentation.

§4 Recording, publication, use of protected content, indemnification

  1. The Speaker agrees that their Presentation, including the content presented, may be streamed live (website/social media), recorded, subsequently published, and made permanently available on the Event website and/or social media channels.
     
  2. The Speaker grants Bitkom a non-exclusive, irrevocable, transferable, unlimited in terms of time, location, and content right to the content provided in advance (e.g., photo, abstract, presentation slides) as well as the Presentation and recording ("Licensed Material") to use and exploit them in all known and unknown types of use and to grant third parties rights of use (temporary or permanent) (sublicensing). The right of use includes, in particular, the right to reproduce the Licensed Materials on digital or analog media, to distribute them in whole or in part, domestically and abroad, for a fee or free of charge, to publicly perform and/or communicate, make them publicly available on websites and social media channels, and make them available on stationary or portable devices, in whole, in part, or as a summary, for retrieval, storage, and display. This includes, in particular, the right to stream the Licensed Material live or time-delayed, to make it available as video-on-demand or other on-demand offerings, to broadcast it, to retransmit it, and to distribute and exploit it technically via third-party platforms and services (e.g., hosting, streaming, or social media platforms), including use in the context of press and public relations, documentation, and event and association communications (e.g., newsletters, social media posts, press releases, event reviews). The right of use also includes the right to edit, redesign, and translate the Licensed Material or have it edited, provided that this does not result in distortion; this includes in particular (i) excerpts, summaries, teasers, highlight clips, best-of compilations, and other short formats (including social media clips), (ii) editing, montage, cuts, and technical/format-related adjustments (e.g., portrait/landscape format, length, resolution, compression), (iii) subtitles, captions, transcripts, translations, timecodes, chapter markers, intro/outro elements, lower-thirds, graphics, and other overlays (including for accessibility purposes), and (iv) combination with other content (e.g., moderation, sponsor references, clips, summaries, Event graphics), provided that this does not result in distortion.
     
  3. The Speaker shall provide Bitkom with the logo of the company/organization that the Speaker represents and grants Bitkom a non-exclusive, royalty-free, spatially unrestricted, time-limited right of use, which may be revoked in writing with two (2) weeks' notice. The right of use is transferable to affiliated companies within the meaning of Sections 15 et seq. of the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG) as well as subcontractors and service providers (e.g., agencies, technical service providers, printers, hosting/streaming providers), or Bitkom shall be entitled to engage such parties to use the logo to the extent specified below. Bitkom is entitled to use the logo for the promotion, preparation, implementation, and follow-up reporting of the Event during the term of the contract and for a maximum of twelve (12) months after the end of the Event. The right of use includes, in particular, the right to reproduce, distribute, publicly display, and make publicly available the logo on digital or analog media, both domestically and abroad, for a fee or free of charge, in whole or in part, in particular on websites (including Event websites), in social media, newsletters, email communications, press and public relations, Event documentation, presentations, and Event documents, as well as in print media (e.g., flyers, programs, posters, daily newspapers) and on signage and stage/screen displays (including inserts such as lower-thirds). Bitkom will not make any changes to the logo without the Speaker's prior permission that go beyond proportional scaling; technically necessary adjustments (e.g., format/resolution, background removal /placement) are permitted, provided that the brand character is not impaired.
     
  4. The Speaker assures that Bitkom's contractual use of the licensed items (including provided content/materials as well as Presentation and recordings) does not infringe any third-party rights (in particular copyrights, ancillary copyrights, personal rights, trademark rights, other rights in names and signs, data protection rights, or other property rights) and that he/she has the necessary rights, consents, and authorizations for this purpose. The Speaker shall indemnify Bitkom and any subcontractors and service providers engaged by Bitkom upon first request against all third-party claims asserted due to the use of the licensed items within the scope of the speaker agreement; this includes, in particular, injunctive relief, removal, information, damages, reimbursement of expenses, and other costs. The Speaker shall support Bitkom in the extrajudicial and judicial defense without delay and to a reasonable extent, in particular by providing the necessary documents, information, and explanations. He shall compensate Bitkom for all harm incurred in this connection as well as reasonable costs and expenses, including legal defense costs (e.g., court and attorney's fees) and necessary and reasonable settlement amounts. 
     

§5 Confidentiality

The parties are obliged to maintain confidentiality regarding all confidential information they receive in the course of implementing the speaker agreement and to take appropriate confidentiality measures. The recipient shall take all appropriate precautions to ensure the confidentiality of the information provided. Confidential information includes the contents of the speaker agreement and all information that is marked as confidential, contains trade and business secrets, or in which the disclosing party has a recognizable interest in maintaining confidentiality. Information that was already known to the receiving party at the time of receipt, or that is generally accessible or known to the public, or that has been expressly excluded from confidentiality in writing by the party from whose domain it originates, shall not be considered confidential. Information that the receiving party is required to disclose due to legal, judicial, or official orders or in accordance with the provisions of the speaker agreement, or if there is a right to disclosure under Section 5 of the German Trade Secrets Act (GeschGehG), is also exempt from the confidentiality obligation.

§6 Term and termination

  1. The speaker agreement ends upon completion of the Event. Provisions of the speaker agreement that expressly or implicitly apply beyond the termination (e.g., regarding the duration of use of the licensed items, confidentiality) remain unaffected by this.
     
  2. Ordinary termination is excluded. The right to extraordinary termination for good cause remains unaffected. Good cause shall be deemed to exist in particular

    a) if a party culpably violates essential obligations under the speaker agreement or legal provisions that are directly or indirectly relevant to its implementation and does not remedy the violation within the deadline despite a warning with a reasonable deadline; a warning is not required if it is futile or unreasonable for the party entitled to terminate the agreement, 
    b) if insolvency proceedings are opened against the assets of a party or the application for the opening of insolvency proceedings is rejected for lack of assets, 
    c) in cases of force majeure; force majeure shall include, but is not limited to, cases where, despite official prohibitions or instructions, the safe execution of the Event can no longer be guaranteed or the purpose of the Event can no longer be achieved (e.g., floods, storms, political unrest , riots, risk of the spread of communicable diseases, the occurrence of a political crisis situation, cancellation by important speakers, nationwide strikes).
     
  3. Termination must be made in writing.

§7 Liability

  1. Bitkom shall be liable without limitation in accordance with the statutory provisions  
    a) for injury to life, limb, and health resulting from a negligent or intentional breach of duty by Bitkom, its legal representatives, or vicarious agents, 
    b) for harm arising from the Product Liability Act, and 
    c) for harm based on intent or gross negligence or in the case of a guarantee.
     
  2. Bitkom shall only be liable for slight negligence if a duty is breached whose observance is of particular importance for achieving the purpose of the speaker agreement ("cardinal duty"). Cardinal duties are duties whose fulfillment is essential for the proper execution of the speaker agreement and on whose observance the Speaker regularly relies and shall rely. In such cases, liability shall be limited to the foreseeable harm typical for this type of contract.
     
  3. Any further liability on the part of Bitkom is excluded; this also applies to tortious claims or claims for reimbursement of futile expenses instead of performance. Insofar as Bitkom's liability is excluded or limited, this also applies to the personal liability of its legal representatives, employees, or vicarious agents.
     
  4. All agreement and statutory claims of the Speaker against Bitkom shall become statute-barred after twelve (12) months, unless they are based on intentional acts by the legal representatives of Bitkom, its vicarious agents, or its employees. The same applies to direct claims against the aforementioned persons. 

§8 Final provisions

  1. Amendments and additions to the speaker agreement must be made in writing to be effective.
     
  2. Bitkom reserves the right to amend these GTC. In the event of a material amendment to the GTC, Bitkom shall notify the Speaker of the amendments in writing (e.g., by email) ("notification of amendment"). The changes shall take effect vis-à-vis the Speaker and the speaker agreement shall continue under the amended terms and conditions if the Speaker does not object to the changes in writing to Bitkom within two (2) weeks of receipt of the change notification. In the event of an objection, both parties shall be entitled to extraordinary termination. Bitkom shall inform the Speaker of the consequences of failing to object in the change notification.
     
  3. The legal relationships between the parties arising from or in connection with the speaker agreement shall be governed exclusively by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, excluding the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods of April 11, 1980 (UN Sales Convention). The place of jurisdiction is Berlin.
     
  4. Should any provision of the speaker agreement be or become void, ineffective, or unenforceable, this shall not affect the validity of the remainder of the speaker agreement.
     
  5. Notwithstanding this, the parties undertake to replace void, ineffective or unenforceable provisions with provisions that come closest to the meaning and purpose of the provision in question, taking into account the statutory provisions. The same shall apply if the speaker agreement, including its components and principles, proves to be incomplete; in this case, the provision shall be made that the parties would have agreed upon if they had taken the missing provision into account when concluding the speaker agreement.