German compliance answers / Received an Abmahnung
What to do after a German Abmahnung?
Short answer
Do not sign before a lawyer has read the letter, and do not wait. Keep the original letter and its postmark date, note the deadline stated in the letter, and have a German lawyer review it as soon as possible.
At the same time, check whether the registration duty the letter accuses you of is in the table below, and look yourself up in the public registers.
The letter says I lack WEEE registration. Does that duty exist?
Yes: equipment must be registered before it is placed on the German market; fine cap for no or late registration is EUR 100,000. ElektroG § 6 Abs. 1; ElektroG § 45 Abs. 1 Nr. 1, Abs. 2
The letter says I lack battery registration. Does that duty exist?
Yes: batteries must be registered by brand and battery category before first being made available; a breach falls in the fine tier up to EUR 100,000. BattDG § 5 Abs. 1; BattDG § 60 Abs. 1 Nr. 1a, Abs. 3
The letter says I lack LUCID registration. Does that duty exist?
Yes: packaged goods require LUCID registration and system participation before first being made available; fine cap for no registration is EUR 100,000. VerpackDG § 6 Abs. 1; VerpackDG § 7 Abs. 1; VerpackDG § 66
The letter says I lack an EU responsible person. Does that duty exist?
Yes: a product needs an EU-established responsible operator, and the online offer must show its name, postal and electronic address. GPSR Art. 16(1); GPSR Art. 19(b)
Deadlines and numbers
| WEEE (ElektroG) | fine cap EUR 100,000 ElektroG § 45 Abs. 1 Nr. 1, Abs. 2 |
|---|---|
| Battery (BattDG) | fine tier EUR 100,000 BattDG § 60 Abs. 1 Nr. 1a, Abs. 3 |
| Packaging (VerpackDG) | EUR 100,000 / 200,000 VerpackDG § 66 |
| GPSR responsible person | fines set by Member States GPSR Art. 44, Art. 52 |
What does the statute say?
Bevor ein Hersteller Elektro- oder Elektronikgeräte in Verkehr bringt, ist er oder im Fall der Bevollmächtigung nach § 8 sein Bevollmächtigter verpflichtet, sich bei der zuständigen Behörde mit der Geräteart und Marke registrieren zu lassen.
Not checked here: the legal basis of the Abmahnung itself (unfair competition law), whether the sender may send it, how legal fees and contractual penalties are calculated, the consequences of signing. A German lawyer must judge these.
What to do: three steps
- Free checkPick a category, 1 minute, no account
- Read the resultEvery item with its source link and a cost range
- A partner, if you want onePartners quote you directly
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Where does each statement come from?
- ElektroG § 6 Abs. 1 · read 2026-10-19
- ElektroG § 45 Abs. 1 Nr. 1, Abs. 2 · read 2026-10-18
- BattDG § 5 Abs. 1 · read 2026-10-19
- BattDG § 60 Abs. 1 Nr. 1a, Abs. 3 · read 2026-10-18
- VerpackDG § 6 Abs. 1 · read 2026-10-19
- VerpackDG § 7 Abs. 1 · read 2026-10-19
- VerpackDG § 66 · read 2026-10-18
- GPSR Art. 16(1) · read 2026-10-18
- GPSR Art. 19(b) · read 2026-10-19
- GPSR Art. 44, Art. 52 · read 2026-10-18
What changed on this page? Changelog
- 2026-10-22 · First published; read dates are shown per source.
This page excerpts public legal texts and is not legal advice. The legal text prevails.