The AURIS Archive documents German history from 1900 to 1950. Part of the holdings dates from the National Socialist period. This page explains on what conditions that material is made available and what it may be used for.
1 · What this is about
Part of the holdings shows uniforms, flags, insignia and other symbols of National Socialist organisations. Further material comes from contexts of war and persecution.
We show this material because it is a source. Historical research, education and remembrance are impossible without sources, and coming to terms with National Socialism presupposes being able to look at it.
We expressly dissociate ourselves from what these symbols stand for, from National Socialist ideology and from any form of glorifying or trivialising it. The material is made available solely for the purposes named in section 2.
2 · Permitted purposes
Image material containing symbols within the meaning of section 86a of the German Criminal Code (StGB) is made available exclusively for the purposes named in section 86 (4) StGB, applicable via section 86a (3) StGB:
- civic education,
- averting unconstitutional activities,
- art and science,
- research and teaching,
- reporting on current events or on history,
- similar purposes within the meaning of that provision.
This covers in particular: academic and popular scholarly publications, exhibitions and memorial work, educational media and teaching, documentary film and journalistic reporting, military and uniform studies, provenance and family research.
The list is exhaustive. It deliberately follows the wording of the statute and is not extended by any general catch-all clause.
Relationship to the archive licence. The archive licence included with every subscription permits private use alongside academic use. For material bearing symbols within the meaning of section 86a StGB this extension does not apply: the exhaustive list of purposes above takes precedence. Purely private use of such material without one of the purposes listed above — as a collector’s item, decoration or wallpaper, for instance — is not permitted. For all other holdings of the archive, private use remains unrestricted.
3 · Obligations of the user
By purchasing access and with every download of material described in section 1, the user declares that they will
- a) use this material exclusively for the purposes named in section 2,
- b) not use it in any way for propaganda within the meaning of section 86a StGB,
- c) not use it in a way that glorifies, justifies, trivialises, relativises or condones National Socialism, its organisations or its crimes (section 130 (3) and (4) StGB),
- d) not use depictions of violence in a way that violates the human dignity of those affected (section 131 StGB),
- e) not use the material without context, in particular not as a profile or cover image, on clothing, on everyday objects or as a design element without historical framing,
- f) respect the dignity of the persons depicted, in particular victims of persecution and violence.
This declaration is obtained during the order process by means of a separate, non-pre-selected confirmation. It is a condition of the material being made available and is recorded with a timestamp and in full wording.
4 · Reservations
(1) We reserve the right to refuse orders, to withhold access and to revoke granted rights of use where there are indications that the material is to be used outside the purposes named in section 2.
(2) We reserve the right to exclude persons and organisations from access where such use is to be expected.
(3) In the event of a breach of section 3, access will be blocked and the licence revoked. The user must cease all further use without delay. Statutory claims and the obligation to report criminal offences remain unaffected.
5 · Use outside Germany
These notes describe the legal position in the Federal Republic of Germany. In other states — including Austria, France and Poland — the display of National Socialist symbols is in part regulated more strictly, and the German social adequacy clause does not apply there.
Users are themselves responsible for complying with the law applicable at their place of use. We reserve the right to impose technical access restrictions for individual states.
6 · Personality rights and data protection
(1) The holdings show persons whose consent to the dissemination of their likeness is as a rule not available and can no longer be obtained. Publication is based on section 23 (1) of the German Act on Copyright in Works of Fine Art and Photography (KUG) (likenesses from the sphere of contemporary history); the limit set by section 23 (2) KUG applies.
(2) For likenesses of deceased persons, the period under section 22 sentence 3 KUG applies. For photographs taken up to 1950 it cannot be ruled out that persons depicted are still alive.
(3) In so far as the photographs contain personal data, we process these for archiving purposes in the public interest and for scientific and historical research purposes (Article 89 GDPR in conjunction with section 27 of the German Federal Data Protection Act).
(4) We respect the dignity of depicted victims of persecution and violence. Photographs from contexts of persecution, camps and war are supplied with contextual information and are not presented as collectors’ items.
7 · Objections and complaints
Persons depicted, their relatives and rights holders may object to the publication of an image without any particular form.
Contact: info@auris-verlag.com
AURIS MEDIA Verlag GmbH, Brehmstr. 8, 42897 Remscheid, Germany
We examine every objection, remove the image concerned from public display for the duration of the examination and communicate the outcome. If an image is permanently withdrawn, customers who obtained it are informed and asked to cease using it.
8 · Contextual information and cataloguing
(1) We catalogue the material with information on dating, place, holding and provenance in so far as this can be established. For material produced for propaganda purposes, the circumstances of its creation are indicated in so far as they are known.
(2) Automated procedures are used in cataloguing. We indicate this separately. Information is given to the best of our knowledge; no warranty is given as to accuracy or completeness.
Our Terms and Conditions and the licence terms referred to therein apply in addition. Last updated: September 2026. This is a translation; in case of doubt the German version prevails.