internet germany
Is &quot;elektronische Post&quot; (&#167; 5 Telemediengesetz) necessarily email?
<p><a href="http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/tmg/__5.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">§ 5 of the Telemediengesetz (German)</a> lists what, for instance, website providers have to include in the typically called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressum#Webpages" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Impressum</em></a> of the website.</p>
<p>The second sentence of (1) is:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Angaben, die eine schnelle elektronische Kontaktaufnahme und unmittelbare Kommunikation mit ihnen ermöglichen, einschließlich der Adresse der elektronischen Post,</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Which <a href="http://www.cgerli.org/index.php?id=50&amp;tx_vmdocumentsearch_pi2%5BdocID%5D=1438" rel="nofollow noreferrer">according to cgerli.org</a> (<a href="http://www.cgerli.org/fileadmin/user_upload/interne_Dokumente/Legislation/Telemedia_Act__TMA_.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">PDF</a>) translates to:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>details which permit rapid electronic contact and direct communication with them, including the electronic mail address,</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Does the term <em>elektronische Post</em> (which translates to <em>electronic mail</em>) necessarily mean email (via SMTP)?</strong></p>
<p>Of course one would immediately think of email (and some might use this term as synonym for &quot;E-Mail&quot;, but it’s not really idiomatic), but then why doesn’t it say &quot;E-Mail&quot; or &quot;SMTP&quot;?<br />
Because it doesn’t explicitly say so, my assumption is that it doesn’t <em>have</em> to be an email address, but just some address that allows to communicate electronically. Like a term for a category of communication protocols (i.e., protocols which allow to send messages in electronic form) instead of refering to the specific <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Mail_Transfer_Protocol" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SMTP</a>. (Which would make sense, because email might lose popularity, and then the law wouldn’t have to be updated.)</p>
<p>So, <em>must</em> it be an email address (<a href="https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc6068" rel="nofollow noreferrer">RFC 6068</a>) or <em>may</em> it be an address for a different protocol that allows to send/receive messages in the Internet?</p>

<p>This question was content of a judgement: <a href="https://openjur.de/u/635522.html" rel="nofollow">KG · Urteil vom 7. Mai 2013 · Az. 5 U 32/12</a></p>

<p>The First maxim is important: "Die nach § 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 TMG bestehende Pflicht zur Angabe der "Adresse der elektronischen Post" meint die Angabe der E-Mail-Anschrift."</p>

<p>Translation:</p>

<p>The existing duty for indication of the "address of electronic mail" (or like your translation: electronic mail address) according to § 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 TMG means the E-Mail-Address.</p>

<p>So the answer is YES.</p>
