Just to fully explain the context as you indicate you are not from Germany - If you put any website online for any commercial purpose, you are required to state your name and address.
If you sell a 0.99€ game on Steam and have a Wordpress page promoting your game, you have to put your name and address on it.
If you take art commissions and make a portfolio page, you have to put your name and address on it.
Personally, I think this is a blatant invasion of privacy.
You should be able to sell things online without doxxing yourself - especially if your persona makes you a target for harassment or violence.
I’m genuinely surprised about the ratio of disagreement.
Ok. I understand your concern. What options does Germany have for setting up, for example, a separate address for business purposes, such as a post office box? How about creating a LLC or LTD (limited liability corporation, DBA/doing business as, or something similar)?
As I understand, the business address and the address you are required to publish when running a website are two separate concepts.
You can rent a business address, but it’s expensive - out of budget for small content creators. Looking at 30€/month from what I see online.
For the latter, a post office box is explicitly not permitted. There are paid 3rd party providers for relay addresses, so you are essentially paying for your privacy.
So, the bar of entry is, according to your cursory research, €30/mo. I agree, that’s a bit high. I wonder what could be done to bring that price down. Competition?
Remember, the law is designed to protect the consumer. Even when you’re just some dude selling a skin or a sketch or some other little thing online for €.99, there’s a consumer on the other end that needs to be protected from a cesspool of an internet of predators. Sure, that may not be you, but if you’ve spent a day online, you know who those people are and why these laws should exist.
Be glad you live in a country who gives enough of a damn about its citizens to enact strong consumer protection laws. I sure as hell don’t.
Just to fully explain the context as you indicate you are not from Germany - If you put any website online for any commercial purpose, you are required to state your name and address.
If you sell a 0.99€ game on Steam and have a Wordpress page promoting your game, you have to put your name and address on it.
If you take art commissions and make a portfolio page, you have to put your name and address on it.
Personally, I think this is a blatant invasion of privacy.
You should be able to sell things online without doxxing yourself - especially if your persona makes you a target for harassment or violence.
I’m genuinely surprised about the ratio of disagreement.
Ok. I understand your concern. What options does Germany have for setting up, for example, a separate address for business purposes, such as a post office box? How about creating a LLC or LTD (limited liability corporation, DBA/doing business as, or something similar)?
With germany being germany: Probably way too much (paper)-work etc.
As I understand, the business address and the address you are required to publish when running a website are two separate concepts.
You can rent a business address, but it’s expensive - out of budget for small content creators. Looking at 30€/month from what I see online.
For the latter, a post office box is explicitly not permitted. There are paid 3rd party providers for relay addresses, so you are essentially paying for your privacy.
So, the bar of entry is, according to your cursory research, €30/mo. I agree, that’s a bit high. I wonder what could be done to bring that price down. Competition?
Remember, the law is designed to protect the consumer. Even when you’re just some dude selling a skin or a sketch or some other little thing online for €.99, there’s a consumer on the other end that needs to be protected from a cesspool of an internet of predators. Sure, that may not be you, but if you’ve spent a day online, you know who those people are and why these laws should exist.
Be glad you live in a country who gives enough of a damn about its citizens to enact strong consumer protection laws. I sure as hell don’t.