
Dr. Bernhard Freund, M.Comp.Sc., LL.M. (Wellington)
Lawyer, Certified IT Lawyer, certified Data Protection Officer (TÜV) and CIPP/E
Email: bernhard.freund@planit.legal
Phone: +49 (0) 40 609 44 190
- Hamburg Attorneys’ Association (Hamburger Anwaltverein e.V.)
- German Attorneys’ Association (Deutscher Anwaltverein e.V.)
- DAV Working Group on IT LAW (DAVIT – Arbeitsgemeinschaft IT-Recht im DAV)
- Hamburg Society for Data Protection (Hamburger Datenschutzgesellschaft e.V.)
- German Society for Law and Computer Science (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Recht und Informatik e.V.)
- Society for Data Protection and Data Security (Gesellschaft für Datenschutz und Datensicherheit e.V.)
- Big Data and Privacy, Center for Business Law (CUR), Osnabrück 2017
- IT Security Law (in Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things), Robert Bosch GmbH, Stuttgart 2017
- Data Protection in the Dentist’s Surgery: Legal consequences of the increased interconnectedness [Datenschutz in der Zahnarztpraxis: Rechtliche Folgen der zunehmenden Vernetzung], Freier Verband Deutscher Zahnärzte e.V., Leipzig 2016
- The Security of Digital Communication in the 21st Century – a Dialogue on Privacy and Data Protection Laws in the U.S. and Germany, German-American Jurists’ Association (DAJV e.V.), Berlin 2014
- Damages for Violation of the Right of Personality: Legal Prerequisites and Avoidance Strategies (with a Focus on Video Surveillance and Mobbing) [Schmerzensgeld bei Verletzung von Persönlichkeitsrechten: Voraussetzungen und Vermeidungsstrategien (Schwerpunkte Videoüberwachung und Mobbing)], Symposium on Employees’ Privacy of the TÜV NORD Academy, Hamburg 2014
- Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) – Legal Aspects [BYOD – Rechtliche Aspekte], Spring Summit of the Network User Group (BGNW), Lübeck 2013
- Privacy after Snowden – Consequences of the NSA Scandal for Data Protection Law [Datenschutz nach Snowden – Datenschutzrechtliche Folgerungen aus dem NSA-Skandal], Palma de Mallorca 2013
- Buying and Selling Data, Joint conference of the British-German Jurists‘ Association and the Deutsch-Britische Juristenvereinigung e.V., Aachen 2012
- Internal Investigations and Privacy [Internal Investigations und Datenschutz], Workshop of the Federal Association of Inhouse Counsels (BUJ), Hamburg 2012
- Facebook & Co. in Your Company [Facebook & Co. im Unternehmen], Hamburg 2012
- Marketing 2.0 – a Journey into a Legal Vacuum? [Marketing 2.0 – Expedition in rechtsfreie Räume?], Hamburg 2012
- Data Transfer to Third Countries – Model Clauses, Binding Corporate Rules, Safe Harbor [Datenübermittlung in Drittstaaten – Model Clauses, Binding Corporate Rules, Safe Harbor], Berlin, Hamburg and Stuttgart 2012
- Facebook Friend Finder / IPv6 [Facebook Freundefinder / IPv6], Hamburg, Berlin, München and Stuttgart 2011
- Using Defeasible Logic Programming for Argumentation-Based Decision Support in Private Law, Conference on Computational Models of Argument (COMMA 2010), Desenzano del Garda 2010
- Commentary on GDPR articles relevant to the IT industry, in: Schuster/Grützmacher, IT Law Commentary [IT-Recht Kommentar], Otto Schmidt Verlag 2020
- Controller-Processor Relationships [Auftragsverarbeitung], in: Intveen/Gennen/Karger, Handbook Software Law [Handbuch des Softwarerechts], Anwaltverlag 2018, joint publication with M. Grützmacher
- After the Hard Fork – May the Crypto Exchange keep Bitcoin Cash? [Nach dem Hard Fork – Darf die Börse Bitcoin Cash behalten?], BTC-Echo, 8. August 2017
- Perspektiven der Auftragsverarbeitung, ZD 2017, 14, joint publication with B. Schmidt
- Guidance Notes: Health and Pharma Overview, Data Guidance 4/2016, joint publication with B. Schmidt
- Specific Performance in the Law of Sales: History – Comparison – Unification [Erfüllungszwang im Kaufrecht, Geschichte – Vergleich – Vereinheitlichung, Schriften zum internationalen Recht], Schriften zum Internationalen Recht (SIR) Bd. 204, Duncker & Humblot 2015
- IT Security Act, On the Draft Act against Cyber Attacks [IT-Sicherheitsgesetz, Zum neuen Entwurf eines Gesetzes gegen Cyber-Attacken], ITRB 2014, 256-260
- The Nucleus of the Self-Responsibility of the Executive as a Limitation to the Right to Freedom of Information [Der Kernbereich exekutiver Eigenverantwortung als Schranke der Informationsfreiheit], DÖV 5/2012, 192-198 joint publication with C. Schnabel
- On the Maximum Harmonization of European Data Protection Law by Directive 95/46/EC [Zur Frage der Vollharmonisierung des europäischen Datenschutzrechts durch die Richtlinie 95/46/EG], Anmerkung zu EuGH, Urt. v. 24.11.2011, C-468/10 u. C-469/10, CR 2012, 32-33
- IPv6 – the End to Anonymity on the Internet? Technical Foundations and Legal Assessment of the New Internet Protocol (Bedeutet IPv6 das Ende der Anonymität im Internet? Technische Grundlagen und rechtliche Beurteilung des neuen Internet-Protokolls), MMR 2011, 495-499 joint publication with C. Schnabel
- “And oh! I am glad that nobody knew…” – Self-Data-Protection when Using Telemedia Services [„Ach wie gut, dass niemand weiß…“ – Selbstdatenschutz bei der Nutzung von Telemedienangeboten], CR 2010, 718-721 joint publication with C. Schnabel
- Can Bobby demand delivery? Towards a Knowledge-Based System in Private Law, Proceedings of the 24th Workshop on Constraint Logic Programming (WLP 2010) joint publication with C. Beierle, G. Kern-Isberner and M. Timm
- Using Defeasible Logic Programming for Argumentation-Based Decision Support in Private Law, Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Computational Models of Argument (COMMA 2010) joint publication with C. Beierle, G. Kern-Isberner and M. Timm
- On Mathematical Patterns in the Web of the Law Indicating a Quasi-Biological Evolution, Revue Juridique Polynésienne (RJP) 2007, 53-67
Bernhard is a founding partner of PLANIT // LEGAL. He advises on any data protection and IT law matters and is appointed as external Data Protection Officer by various companies. Clients value in particular the combination of his legal and technical experience.
Before founding PLANIT // LEGAL, Bernhard worked for the Hamburg Data Protection Authority (Hamburgischer Beauftragter für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit), as Lawyer for the Practice Group Technology, Media and Telecommunication in the Hamburg office of the international law firm CMS Hasche Sigle and as a software developer.
Bernhard studied law and computer science at the University of Bielefeld. After having accomplished his undergraduate studies and scientific research activities at the universities of Bielefeld and Torino, he completed his postgraduate studies in law (LL.M.) at the University of Wellington.
Bernhard was legal clerk (Rechtsreferendar) at the Hamburg Court of Appeal (Oberlandesgericht). During his legal clerkship he worked, inter alia, for international law firms and a public health insurance provider. During this time, he also finished his studies in computer science at the University of Hagen, majoring in artificial intelligence, with a thesis on knowledge-based systems.
Bernhard was Ph.D. student at the chair of Prof. Dr. Hans Schulte-Nölke, University of Osnabrück. He wrote his Ph.D. thesis on “Specific Performance in Sales Contracts” (Erfüllungszwang im Kaufrecht). Bernhard was associate professor (Lehrbeauftragter) for data protection law at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences and currently is a trainer with the PLANIT // Academy.
Bernhard is fluent in German and English.