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Katharina Pauls

Senior Associate
About

Katharina Pauls advises both national and international clients from various industries (including media, manufacturing, retail). She focuses on all aspects of data protection law, e-privacy and cyber security.

Her advice covers all aspects of data protection law. She advises her clients on matters such as employee data protection and its national peculiarities, obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), in particular information, documentation, and transfer obligations, the handling of special categories of personal data (such as health data), the procedure in the event of data security breaches, and the possible consequences of non-compliance with the GDPR. In addition, she is active in the field of e-privacy and regularly advises on the applicable requirements for the use of cookies and similar technologies.

Katharina has extensive experience in the areas of personalized (online) marketing and employee data protection. She also regularly works in the areas of new business models, big data projects and AI, the protection of employee and customer data, CRM projects, cloud computing solutions and data security incidents.

She also regularly advises her clients in the event of administrative proceedings and in litigation before civil and administrative courts.

Areas of FocusIntellectual Property

EXPERIENCE

  • Advising an international media group with regard to issues on online marketing and GDPR implementation.
  • Advising an international mail-order company on GDPR implementation and AI.
  • Advising an international credit card provider on GDPR implementation.
  • Advising a global audio brand on various GDPR compliance issues including drafting of policies and contracts.
  • Advising an international luxury goods manufacturer especially on data protection and competition law.
  • Advising an international industrial corporation on preparation of internal data protection guidelines for the operation of a global corporate compliance hotline.
  • Advising on a landmark case regarding online marketing both from a data protection and an intellectual property law perspective.
  • Representation of website operators (e.g. news offers, shops) in disputes with competitors and consumer organisations.
  • Advising various online retailers in proceedings before data protection supervisory authorities.
Languages
  • German
  • English

Awards

  • Handelsblatt in cooperation with Best Lawyers 2024/2025, 2025/2026: Recognised as “Ones to Watch in Germany” for Information Technology Law.
Education
  • Hanseatic Higher Regional Court Hamburg, Second State Examination, 2018
  • University Hamburg, First State Examination, 2015

Publications

  • Germany: ECJ ruling on employee data protection, Privacy Matters 31 March 2023
  • German Federal Labor Court rules on the scope of the right to information under Art. 15 GDPR, Privacy Matters, 4 May 2021
  • Bundesarbeitsgericht zum Umfang des Auskunftsanspruchs nach Art. 15 DSGVO – trotz fehlender Entscheidung in der Sache wichtiger Wegweiser für die Praxis, IPT Germany, 30 April 2021
  • Germany: Federal Court Summary Judgment: FCO Achieves Stage Victory Against Facebook, Privacy Matters, 25 June 2020
  • BGH-Eilentscheidung: Bundeskartellamt gelingt Etappensieg gegen Facebook, IPT Germany, 24 June 2020
  • Germany: Federal Court Rules On Obligation To Obtain Cookie Consent, Privacy Matters, 28 May 2020
  • BGH – Planet49 – Pflicht zur Einholung einer Cookie-Einwilligung gilt auch in Deutschland, IPT Germany, 28 May 2020
  • Auskunftspflicht von Betreibern von Telemedien bei Rechtsverletzungen ihrer Nutzer, IPT Germany, 30 January 2020
  • DSK zum Thema der Verarbeitung personenbezogener Daten für Zwecke der Direktwerbung, IPT Germany, 19 November 2018

Seminars

Events

  • Online Privacy – Essentials, cookies, tracking-process, apps and more, 10.4.2019, 6.11.2019, 5.8.2020, 11.11.2020, Hamburg Media School
  • Online marketing: contract law and data protection law, inhouse workshop, 16.02.2021, Webinar
  • Canvas & Whiteboard Tools, Risks from Contract and Privacy Law (together with Dr Nico Brunotte and Daniel Schäfer), 30.09.2020, Hamburg

Prior Experience

Prior to joining DLA Piper, Katharina gained practical experience in all fields of media law, in particular with regard to IT law, intellectual property law, copyright law as well as freedom of expression law. During her studies she worked for a leading German publishing house. During her legal traineeship she worked for DLA Piper as well as for a public broadcaster.