Founding an Online Magazine - Opportunities and Risks

An Online Magazine For Fishing Enthusiasts

exali: You launched your website in 2019. Could you tell us a little bit about it:: How did it come about and how does it work?

Christoph Hein:
In the past, I have always built affiliate projects on topics that I am privately interested in. Since I have been an fisherman myself for many years, it was an obvious idea to build a project on this topic. Three years ago, the industry in Germany was much less digitalised - so I saw a good opportunity to grow quickly here Today, the website is one of the three strongest websites in the fishing sector in terms of traffic. Around 120.000 visitors per month read our articles and check out our content.

The Right Protection for Online Business

exali: You have insured your business with Professional Indemnity Insurance through exali. When and how did the topic of business insurance shift into focus for you?

Christoph Hein:
With an increasing number of visitors and growing content, it was clear to me that I wanted to play it safe here. Especially subjects like GDPR, image licences and legal issues  have prompted me to take a closer look at the topic of Professional Indemnity Insurance. Since I am a sole entrepreneur, I am fully liable myself and naturally want to keep the risk as low as possible in the case of a damage event. Moreover, as damage events often require a prompt response, I also wanted a contact person I could rely on and could contact immediately if the worst came to pass.

Not Alone In The Case Of a Damage Event

exali: In the middle of 2022, a damage event occurred in connection with your business – what happened?

Christoph Hein:
That's right, in July 2022 I received a written warning from a German law firm. Their client, an fishing club, had reported the illegal use of a regional emblem. This was shown on a graphic that was featuredin one of our articles on the subject of fishing licences. According to the German fishing association, the use of this emblem is prohibited by law and must be explicitly approved by the Ministry of the Interior. In addition to a cease-and-desist declaration, the law firm demanded compensation for damages on behalf of their client, as well as a disclosure of information about an affiliate partnership.

exali: Following the damage occurred, you called in your insurer. How did the settlement go?

Christoph Hein:
After receiving the written warning, I immediately contacted the exali customer service. The case was recorded there and some key data was requested. Since the issue was urgent (there was a deadline of seven days), they reacted quickly. Just one day later, I was put in touch with a law firm for IT law, industrial property rights and competition law, which then took over my case.

The communication was impeccable, after a short transmission of the mandate and two telephone calls, the law firm formulated a response to the written warning and transmitted it accordingly. We accepted the cease-and-desist declaration, but rejected all further demands. Over the course of the next few weeks, there was no feedback or further demands from the other side, which meant that the case did not cause me any further damage.

Apart from the annual premium for the Professional Indemnity Insurance, there were no additional costs for me. My lawyer's bill was paid directly by exali, so I didn't even have to pay in advance. All in all, a very good user experience!

Professional Indemnity Insurance - a Reasonable Investment In Your Business

exali: What advice would you give to other website operators who want to put their business on a secure footing?

Christoph Hein:

I would definitely recommend that you think about Professional Indemnity. A warning is quickly issued, for example, if image sources are not correctly stated or third-party scripts or content are not integrated in a data protection-compliant manner.In my case, the costs for the lawyer amounted to around 1,300 euros. These were completely covered by exali. My current annual premium for Professional Indemnity Insurance is around 300 euros per year, an absolutely reasonable investment. This not only saves money in the case of a damage, it also helps keep your peace of mind.