Websites Terms Of Use

Guidelines for publishing and operating websites at the University of Vienna

  • Last modified on: 07.03.2022
  • Approved by: Ulf Busch
  • Responsible for content: Markus Ankner
  • Editing and design: IT Communications & Marketing

1. General provisions

  1. The present guidelines complement other applicable regulations. The publication of contents on the Internet is subject to the statutory provisions of the Republic of Austria as well as the relevant terms of use and policies of the University of Vienna and the Zentraler Informatikdienst (ZID), in particular the u:account Terms of Use and the Data Protection Guideline of the University of Vienna.
  2. These guidelines apply to all contents published on websites of the University of Vienna on the World Wide Web (WWW). This includes websites running on web servers operated by organisational units and subunits of the University of Vienna. The guidelines also apply to websites running on the content management system TYPO3 as well as on servers not operated by the University, such as on public clouds or stored websites, if they can be allocated to the University of Vienna or to an organisational unit or subunit of the University.
  3. The disclosure obligation pursuant to section 25 of the Austrian Media Act applies. The publication of anonymous and pseudonymous contents is not permitted.
  4. Contents that are a threat to public order, safety or morality or that violate legal regulations (such as the Austrian copyright act or the Austrian Media Act), as well as contents that harass or frighten other users may not be published.

Furthermore, users may not use websites pursuant to item 1.2 in the following ways:

  • in a manner that is prohibited by law, regulations or official orders or by regulations specified in a relevant legal framework;
  • in a manner that violates the rights of others;
  • with the purpose of gaining unauthorised access to or causing unauthorised interruptions of services, devices, data, accounts or networks;
  • with the purpose of spreading spam or malware;
  • in a manner that damages the software or hardware or that might prevent others from using it;
  • by using it in a manner or in a situation in which a malfunction of the web server and/or of the web space service could result in death or severe injuries to body and health, or to material or environmental damage;
  • in any other unauthorised or improper manner

2. Publishing personal websites

The University of Vienna emphasises that its fundamental values, such as tolerance, mutual respect and recognition, are core values which are also expressed in public statements. Publishing contents that contradict these principles may lead to consequences. Further information can be found in the Code of Conduct. Employees of the University of Vienna who want to publish personal websites on the World Wide Web (WWW) on web servers pursuant to item 1.2 have to adhere to the following regulations in addition to the general provisions:

  1. The contents must be limited to the provision of personal information in the context of university activities. Therefore, they may include information about professional tasks, research areas, teaching, publications and the like. The logo of the University of Vienna may only be used on personal websites if the website actually refers to the activities at the University of Vienna.
  2. The dissemination of contents for commercial and business purposes as well as the dissemination of contents on behalf of third parties (such as associations, organisations, companies) is prohibited.

The University of Vienna reserves the right to initiate relevant measures (such as removing the website) in case of violations and/or to immediately revoke the permission to use the web space service.

3. Publishing websites for work purposes

Employees of the University of Vienna who want to publish websites for work purposes (e.g. websites of organisational units, subunits or projects) on the World Wide Web (WWW) on web servers pursuant to item 1.2 have to adhere to the following regulations in addition to the general provisions:

  1. The rules and regulations specified in the Corporate Design Manual of the University of Vienna must be adhered to, if possible.
  2. The dissemination of content for commercial and business purposes is prohibited. An exemption applies to sponsoring (for example, banner advertising for sponsors).
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