Legal Notice & Privacy Policy Statement

“FSC Intellectual Property” is intellectual property or other content and materials therein, published or made available on or together with the Site, owned by FSC GD (FSC Global Development GmbH),  FSC IC (FSC International Center gGmbH), FSC AC (Forest Stewardship Council A.C.), and FSC I&P (FSC Investments & Partnerships). This may also include content separately created, managed, and published by the FSC Network Partner.

We will take necessary measures to ensure that the content and materials therein are accurate, but it may nevertheless include technical and input errors, omissions, or inaccuracies, therefore no responsibility for any claims, whether special, direct, or indirect, whatsoever arising from or in connection with the use of this Site will be accepted.

General Information

"FSC intellectual Property" includes, but is not limited to trademarks, certification marks, copyrighted works, and specifically marks, logos, images, photographs, graphics, getup, icons, templates, design and layout of the FSC website, publications, texts, multimedia content, podcasts, maps, taglines, software, source code, databases, and domain names. It is prohibited to copy, imitate, expropriate and/or integrate any parts, or in full, any of the FSC Intellectual Property as made available you via the Site, downloads, publications or by any other means.

Exceptions for Trademarks:

The ‘FSC’ initials, the name ‘Forest Stewardship Council’, the FSC checkmark and tree logo, and the Forests For All Forever (FFAF) brandmarks and any unregistered trademarks are owned exclusively by FSC IC. Any use of these marks must be authorised by FSC GD. Unauthorised use maybe permitted provided such use is limited to word marks FSC and Forest Stewardship Council, and the use is for:

1. Referential and identification purposes only,
2. Non-commercial academic, education and/or research use,
3. Making comparisons
4. Reporting news

Please contact trademarks@fsc.org for authorization to use any of FSC Trademarks.

Exceptions for Copyright:

For general use of content on this Site be aware that:

1. The content or materials on this Site can only be used without authorisation for Fair Uses. Fair Use is intended for information, news, education and/or referential purposes provided no alterations, modifications, or variations are exercised on the content or material.
2. Except as specifically authorized by FSC GD, the content or materials on this Site may only be further used for non-commercial private use purposes.
3. Any copy or distribution of the materials on this Site, or any portion thereof, must include a copyright notice, and proprietary notices contained on the materials. Such copies must preserve the nature and form of the content or material.
4. Publications and text: Content and materials on this Site belong to either FSC IC, FSC AC, FSC GD, FSC Network Partner and/or Third Parties as may be identified. For any reproduction, adaptation, redistribution, edits, commercial reprints and translation of content or material, in full or in part, please seek approval from communications@fsc.org .
5. Photographs: All photographs featured on this Site are subject to copyright and must not be reproduced without permission. If you are interested in using any of the images, please contact communications@fsc.org .

Third Party Rights Clearance

This refers to copyrightable content or materials on this Site, excluding the above-mentioned trademarks. FSC content or materials are part of the FSC Intellectual Property. However, not all content or materials on the Site belong to FSC. When content published on this Site contains third-party owned materials, including, for example, documents, articles, audio visuals, audios, graphics, marks, or logos etc., anyone wishing to use such content is solely responsible for clearing the rights to that material with the right holder(s).

The contents provided on this Site solely serve the purpose of providing information and are legally not binding. Everything on this Site is provided to you “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement or arising from a course of dealing, usage trade or practice. 
It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any opinions, advice, services or other information provided. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties, so the above disclaimer may not apply to you. In addition, the materials contained in this Site could contain technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodically added to the information herein. FSC GD may make improvements and/or changes in this Site and promotions described in this Site at any time without notice.

FSC GD as technical supporter of the Site shall not be liable for, any damages to, or viruses that may infect, your computer equipment or other property on account of your access to, use of, or browsing within this Site, or your downloading of any materials, data, text, images, video, or audio from this Site. In no event shall FSC GD be liable for any incidental or consequential damages, lost profits, or lost data or any indirect damages.

When referring to internet websites or content of third parties (links), FSC GD assumes no responsibility for the contents of the pages linked. By accessing these links, you leave the information area of this Site. For information provided by third parties, there may be different policies admissible, especially in terms of data protection.

FSC GD is committed to ensuring the privacy of your personal information. This Privacy Policy Statement applies also to other websites of FSC GD, unless other websites that may be affiliated with FSC GD which are published under a different subdomain provide a different privacy statement. FSC GD respects the privacy of users of this Site and believes that such information should be used responsibly and appropriately.

FSC GD collects data from you, through our interactions with you and through our services. In general, all users may visit this Site anonymously and without revealing any additional personal information. There are times, however, when we may need information from you. This is usually required in order for us to promptly respond to your requests for information or to answer your questions. You might also provide some of personal data directly, if for instance you register on our website, subscribe to our newsletters, apply for membership, register for an event, or register for the Consultation Platform, etc.

3.1 Personal Data We Collect

The data we collect depends on the context of your interactions with FSC GD, the choices you make, including your privacy settings, and the features of the website you use. The data we collect can include the following:

• Name and contact data. We can collect your first and last name, email address, postal address, phone number, and other similar contact data.
• Credentials. We collect occasionally passwords, password hints, and similar security information used for authentication and account access.
• Demographic data. Very rarely we collect data about you such as your age, gender, country, and preferred language.
• Location data. We can collect data about your imprecise location data, for example, a location derived from your IP address or data that indicates where you are located with less precision, such as at a city or postal code level.

Several of our services require some personal data in order to be able to provide you with this service. However, we will inform you in this case with a separate privacy statement in this regard.
3.1.1 Registration on our website

During the registration on the website, some personal information will be collected, such as name, address or contact details such as telephone number and e-mail address. The registration allows a user to access content and services that are offered only to the registered users. Registered users have the option of changing or deleting the data specified during registration at any time. Upon your request, we provide you with information about the personal data we hold about you. Furthermore, upon your request we rectify or delete your personal data, as far as no statutory storage requirements apply.

3.1.2 Newsletter
 

When you sign up to receive our newsletter, the data you provide will be used exclusively for this purpose. Subscribers may also be notified by email about circumstances relevant to the service or registration (such as changes to the newsletter offer or technical conditions).

For an effective registration we need your name and a valid e-mail address. In order to verify that an application is actually made by the owner of an e-mail address, we use the "double-opt-in" procedure. For this purpose, we store the information about the subscription to the newsletter, the confirmation mail and the receipt of the requested answer. The data will be used exclusively for newsletter distribution and will not be passed on to third parties.

The consent to the storage of your personal data and their use for the newsletter can be revoked at any time, by clicking a corresponding link in the newsletter. You can also withdraw your consent and unsubscribe from this website at any time or provide us with your request via the contact details provided at this page.

3.1.3 Use of Google Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Inc. ("Google"). Google Analytics uses "cookies", which are text files that are stored on your computer and that allow an analysis of the use of the website by you. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is usually transmitted to a Google server in the United States and stored there. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports on website activity and to provide other services related to website activity and internet usage to the website operator. The IP address provided by Google Analytics as part of Google Analytics will not be merged with other Google data. You can view our website without cookies. You can refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings (“do not accept cookies”) on your browser. Please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website.

3.1.4 Social plugins

Our websites use social plugins of the providers listed below. The plugins can be recognized by the fact that they are marked with the appropriate logo.

These plug-ins may be used to send information, which may include personal information, to the service provider and may be used by the service provider. We prevent the unconscious and unwanted collection and transmission of data to the service provider through a 2-click solution. To activate a desired social plugin, it must first be activated by clicking on the corresponding button. Only through this activation of the plugin is the detection of information and its transmission to the service provider triggered. We do not collect personally identifiable information by means of social plugins or their use.

We have no control over what data an enabled plugin collects and how it is used by the provider. At present, it must be assumed that a direct connection to the services of the provider will be developed and at least the IP address and device-related information will be collected and used. It is also possible that the service providers try to save cookies on the computer used. Please refer to the privacy policy of the respective service provider to see which specific data is collected here and how it is used. Note: If you are logged in to Facebook at the same time, Facebook may identify you as a visitor to a particular page.

We have integrated the social media buttons of the following companies on our website:

• Facebook Inc. (1601 S. California Ave - Palo Alto - CA 94304 - USA)
• Twitter Inc. (795 Folsom St. - Suite 600 - San Francisco - CA 94107 - USA)
• Google Plus / Google Inc. (1600 Amphitheater Parkway - Mountain View - CA 94043 – USA)
• Pinterest Inc. (808 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94103)
• LinkedIn (Gardner House, 2 Wilton Pl, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin, Ireland)
• Email plugin

3.2 How we use personal data?

All the personal data we process is processed by responsible FSC staff and affiliates on need-to-know basis. FSC GD is the processor providing the technical support of the Site, for the purposes of IT hosting and maintenance all information is located on servers in Strasburg in France and Cologne in Germany.

We might use your personal data to enable the purpose of the service, or your request based on consent, to improve and update related services, communicate with you, secure against fraud and abuse, troubleshoot issues and as necessary for safety and integrity based on our legitimate interest. In addition, we use your personal data as is required by law.

3.3 How long we keep it?

This would depend on the service you are receiving from us. We may have a legal obligation to retain your data for a number of years. However, as a minimum, we shall keep your data for 5 years following the termination of your business relationship with us. In some cases, we may be legally obliged to keep your data for 10 years. Any information we use for marketing purposes might be kept with us until you notify us that you no longer wish to receive this information.

3.5 What are your rights?

By law, you have 8 fundamental data subject rights:

• The right to be informed
• The right of access
• The right to rectification
• The right to erasure
• The right to restrict processing
• The right to data portability
• The right to object
• Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling.

As a consequence, you can make changes or revoke your consent by notifying us with effect for the future.

3.6 You can complain

If you have a complaint about our use of your information, please contact our responsible contact person in the office directly in the first instance so that we can address your complaint: privacy@fsc.org

3.7 Changes in our Privacy Policy Statement

We reserve the right to change this Privacy Policy Statement from time to time to ensure that it complies with current legal requirements or to implement changes to our services in the Privacy Policy Statement, for example, when introducing new services. In this case your further visit will be subject to the new privacy policy. Be sure to check back here periodically for any changes.

This Privacy Policy Statement does not extend to anything that is inherent in the operation of the Internet, and beyond the control of FSC GD and is not to be applied in any manner contrary to applicable laws, rules or regulations.

FSC GD has produced a subject access request form, which you might use to send FSC GD a request. The use of the standard form is not compulsory, however this form can make it easier for you to recognize your subject rights and to include all the details you might need to locate the information you want. You can find the request form here . 

You can send your request or any further questions to: privacy@fsc.org or to:

FSC International
FSC Global Development GmbH 
Adenauerallee 134 
53113 Bonn Deutschland / Germany

By using any of the various ‘Contact Us’ online forms, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Statement. 

5.1 What Information We Collect

In order to detail with your request, we may collect some personal data. The personal data we collect on the ‘Contact Us’ forms includes the following:
• Full name (first name, last name)
• Email address
• Location
• IP address
• Cookie ID
• Date & Time; or
• Specific content provided by user which might contain further personal and business data specific to each ‘Contact Us’ online form.

5.2 How We Collect Your Data 

You as a website user directly provide us with most of the data we collect. As user of the ‘Contact Us’ forms you are responsible for providing accurate, complete and up-to-date information.
This information includes your full name (first name, last name), email address, and country.

5.3 How We Use Your Data

We process your personal data for one or several of the following purposes:
• To communicate with you,
• To provide information on FSC licenses or on collaboration with FSC,
• To improve and maintain performance in the FSC certification process,
• To help us to produce FSC reports,
• To monitor compliance with the certification process,
• To handle complaints or resolve infringements,
• To show impact of FSC,
• To develop market intelligence; or
• As is required by law for safety and integrity.
All the personal data we process is processed by FSC GD, however for the purposes of IT hosting and maintenance this information is located on servers in Strasburg in France and Cologne in Germany.
We will not collect any personal data from you that we do not need to provide and oversee this service to you.

5.4. Who We Share Your Data With

Your personal data will be accessible to the data controller at FSC GD. We will only share your personal data with third parties with whom we contract in order to pursue our legitimate interest in providing services to you, answering your queries and handling your complaints. This can include:
• Staff or units of different entities of the FSC Group1,
• Staff or units of FSC network partners2 & certification bodies3,
• Members of stakeholder working groups,
• Third party service providers; email service providers; IT service providers,
• Companies about which a complaint is submitted, or
• Independent experts, governmental offices or appeals panels in the complaints process.
We will take all reasonable steps, such as the inclusion of clauses in our contracts with such processors or controllers, to ensure that your personal data is safe and treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Statement.

5.5 Transfer of Data

The personal data that we collect from you may be transferred to, and processed by, a processor based in a destination outside of the European Economic Area (EEA). If this happens, we will take steps, such as the inclusion of contractual clauses into our contracts with such processors or controllers, to ensure that your personal data is safe and treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Statement.

5.6 How Long We Keep Your Personal Data

This would depend on the issue you are contacting us for. Personal data collected for our ‘Contact Us’ forms will not be stored longer than is necessary in order to achieve the purposes as named within this privacy and cookie statement unless FSC or any of the third-parties engaged by FSC must observe a longer statutory retention period based on a legal obligation. In some cases, we may be legally obliged to keep your data for 10 years. Any information we use for marketing purposes might be kept with us until you notify us that you no longer wish to receive this information. 

5.7 Security

FSC is committed to ensuring the privacy of your personal information. In order to prevent unauthorized access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

5.8. Your Rights

FSC would like to make sure you are fully aware of all your data protection rights. Every user is entitled to the following with regards to their data:
• The right to be informed
• The right of access
• The right to rectification
• The right to erasure
• The right to restrict processing
• The right to data portability
• The right to object
• Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling.
Upon your request, we provide you with information about the personal data we hold about you. You have the right to access or verify your personal data FSC GD is holding and to have your personal data modified, corrected or deleted under certain conditions at any time. If you would like to exercise one of your data protection rights, please do not hesitate to contact us at privacy@fsc.org.

5.9 Cookies and Similar Technologies

What are cookies?
Cookies are text files placed on your computer to collect standard internet log information and visitor behavior information. When you visit our websites, we may collect information from you automatically through cookies or similar technology.

How do we use cookies?
Our use of Cookies automatically gives us certain data, such as IP address, browser used, operating system from your computer and your connection to the internet. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the Contact Us online forms (including your anonymized IP address) will be transmitted and stored on our servers in France and Germany. FSC GD will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the Contact Us online forms, compiling reports on activity and providing other services relating to Contact Us online forms activity and internet usage. Unless the law requires so, in no case will the data collected by FSC GD be passed on to third parties or a link with personal data will be established without your consent.

How to manage cookies
You can use our Contact Us online forms without cookies. You can refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings (“do not accept cookies”) on your browser. Please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of Contact Us online forms. By using Contact Us online forms, you consent to the processing of data about you by FSC GD in the manner and for the purposes set above.

5.10 Your Requests and Complaints

If you have any request for access, rectification, blocking and/or erasure of your personal data please contact us at privacy@fsc.org. In the event you have a complaint, please contact our Data Protection Officer directly (see details below) in the first instance so that we can address your request and/or complaint.

Scheja & Partner Rechtsanwälte

Mr. Boris Reibach

Adenauerallee 136, 53113 Bonn

Tel.: +49 (0) 228-227 226-0

Fax: +49 (0) 228-227 226-26

E-mail: info@scheja-partner.de

Contact form: http://www.scheja-partner.de/kontakt/kontakt.html

Website: www.scheja-partner.de

 
5.11 How to Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Statement, the data we hold on you, or you would like to exercise one of your data protection rights, please do not hesitate to contact us:
Email us at: privacy@fsc.org

5.11 Changes to our Privacy Statement 

We reserve the right to change this Privacy Statement from time to time to ensure that it complies with current legal requirements or to implement changes to our services in the Privacy Statement, for example, when introducing new services. In this case your further visit will be subject to the new privacy policy. Be sure to check back here periodically for any changes. 

This Privacy Statement does not extend to anything that is inherent in the operation of the internet, and beyond the control of FSC and is not to be applied in any manner contrary to applicable laws, rules or regulations.