Language Notice: This content is legally binding exclusively in the German language. Translations into other languages are provided for informational purposes only and are non-binding.
As of: 30 September 2026
| Company | apollum highend GmbH Robert-Bosch-Str. 19c 48153 Münster Germany |
| legal@apollum.com | |
| Managing Director | Sebastian Strube |
| Commercial Register | HRB 23212 |
| Register Court | Local Court Münster |
These Terms of Use and Contract Terms (“Terms of Use”) apply to registration with and use of the platform apollum.com operated by apollum highend GmbH (“Apollum”), including all associated services, applications, interfaces and content (“platform”).
“User” means any natural or legal person who registers on the platform or uses it. “Commercial participants” are users who use the platform in the exercise of a commercial or self-employed professional activity, in particular dealers and brands. For commercial participants, the provisions in Part B apply additionally and, in the event of conflict, with priority.
Deviating, conflicting or supplementary terms and conditions of the user do not become part of the contract unless Apollum expressly consents to their application in text form. This also applies if Apollum provides its services without reservation in the knowledge of such terms and conditions.
Supplementary terms — in particular the descriptions of services and prices displayed when an access model is booked and special terms for individual functions — take precedence over these Terms of Use within the scope of their respective subject matter.
Apollum operates a web-based, digital, brand-centred platform for non-transaction-based trade in audio and hi-fi products.
Apollum provides exclusively the technical infrastructure for the presentation, discoverability and initiation of trade and contracts. No contracts for products or services of third parties are concluded by Apollum via the platform. The platform provides neither a function for making binding contractual declarations nor payment processing.
Contracts for products or services are concluded exclusively outside the platform, directly between the users involved. Apollum does not become a party to the contract, does not act as seller, buyer, representative, intermediary, broker or messenger, does not collect payments on behalf of users, does not hold goods in custody and gives no warranty for the conclusion, content, accuracy or performance of such contracts.
Enquiries and messages transmitted via the platform are non-binding acts of initiation, except to the extent that the user making the declaration expressly specifies otherwise. The user making the declaration is solely responsible for the content of such declarations.
The platform is continuously developed further. Individual functions may be made available in stages over time, only to certain user groups or only within the scope of certain access models.
There is no entitlement to the conclusion of transactions or to reach, visibility, placement, enquiries, revenue or other economic results.
Within the platform, Apollum provides in particular the following service areas:
Which functions are available and activated in the individual case depends on the user role and on any (paid) access model that may have been booked. In case of doubt, the details of the service areas follow from Apollum’s product and service descriptions available before and/or at the time of activation or booking.
The nature, scope, design and technical implementation of the platform and its functions are at Apollum’s discretion, to the extent that the respective design is reasonable for the user, taking into account Apollum’s interests, and the purpose of the user relationship is not defeated in its essence. There is no entitlement to specific features, user interfaces, integrations, reach, revenue or technical metrics.
Apollum displays listings of commercial participants exclusively on apollum.com. Distribution via additional third-party sales channels does not currently take place; future changes will be communicated separately.
Use of the platform requires registration and a user account, except to the extent that individual functions are expressly offered without registration.
By submitting the registration form, the user makes an offer to conclude a user agreement on the basis of these Terms of Use. The user agreement is concluded when Apollum accepts this offer, in particular by confirmation in text form (e.g. by email) or by activating the user account. Apollum is under no obligation to accept.
The user agreement is initially free of charge and gives rise neither to an obligation to book an access model nor to any other consideration; section 6 remains unaffected.
Only natural persons with full legal capacity and, for legal persons, the persons authorized to represent them are entitled to register.
Registration is permitted only if the data provided are complete, accurate and up to date. Changes must be updated in the user account without undue delay.
Users are obliged to keep their access credentials confidential and to protect them against access by third parties. Passing the account on to third parties is not permitted. If unauthorized access is suspected, Apollum must be informed without undue delay.
Apollum may require the submission of suitable evidence, in particular of identity, power of representation, status as an entrepreneur or entitlement to the signs used, and may make the activation of the user account and/or of functions conditional on such evidence.
Apollum may refuse registrations and block or delete user accounts if incorrect statements are made, if the offering is misused or if legitimate interests of Apollum or of third parties are impaired. Section 10 remains unaffected.
Registration and the creation and maintenance of a user account are free of charge. These Terms of Use do not in themselves give rise to any payment obligation, any obligation to book a paid access model or any entitlement to access paid functions.
Apollum provides functions and service areas in whole or in part within the framework of access models (“plans”). Which services a plan comprises, for which target group it is offered and which requirements apply to it follows from the service description displayed at the time of booking.
A paid access model requires a separate booking. By submitting the booking, the user makes a binding offer to conclude the respective access model. The contract is concluded when Apollum accepts the booking, in particular by confirmation in text form (e.g. by email), by activating the booked services, by commencing performance or by issuing an invoice. Apollum is under no obligation to accept a booking.
Prices, term, renewal, due date, billing and prepayment periods, payment terms and notice periods of the respective access model follow from the overview of services and prices displayed at the time of booking and from any supplementary plan terms. These take precedence over these Terms of Use with regard to the booked access model.
Unless expressly stated otherwise, all prices are net prices plus statutory value added tax at the applicable rate. Unless otherwise stated at the time of booking, invoices are payable within 14 days of the invoice date without deduction.
The remuneration falls due upon activation of the booked service and the term begins at that time, unless otherwise stated at the time of booking.
An entitlement to participate in particular access models, conditions, roles, user groups, quotas or placements exists only to the extent that this has been expressly agreed separately.
The user may set off only claims that are undisputed or have been finally established by a court. The user has a right of retention only on the basis of counterclaims arising from the same contractual relationship. In relation to consumers, this applies only to the extent permitted by law.
Differences in the treatment of commercial participants, in particular with regard to access to functions, data or conditions, result exclusively from the access model booked in each case in accordance with paragraph 2 and from the service descriptions displayed for it at the time of booking. No differentiation beyond this takes place.
Users maintain their content — in particular texts, product information, images, media, legal texts and information required by law — independently and on their own responsibility within the systems provided by Apollum.
The user is obliged to ensure that all content posted, linked or referenced by the user is lawful, does not infringe any third-party rights — in particular industrial property rights, copyrights, legal positions under the law on the protection of secrets and personality rights — and does not violate statutory provisions, official orders or public morals.
The user must ensure that, in the course of the user’s participation in the platform, all statutory and legal requirements are fully observed and fulfilled, in particular information, labelling and price indication obligations as well as consumer rights. The user is itself fully liable for the content and statements posted by the user and for information provided and information not provided in breach of duty.
The following in particular is prohibited:
Apollum expressly does not adopt users’ content as its own. Apollum is not obliged to monitor posted content without specific cause or actively to seek out circumstances indicating unlawful activity. Section 13 remains unaffected.
The user grants Apollum a non-exclusive, worldwide right, free of charge and limited in time to the duration of the user relationship, to store the content posted by the user, to reproduce it, to process it technically (in particular to scale, format, convert and translate it), to make it publicly available and to display it to third parties in the course of operating the platform, to the extent that this is necessary for the provision of the platform services; for backup and archive copies within the meaning of paragraph 5 and for materials already published within the meaning of section 19 paragraph 7, the right of use continues to apply for this limited purpose without limitation in time.
The right of use includes in particular presentation in overviews, lists, search results, teasers, preview images and comparable contexts as well as provision to search engines and connected partner services within the scope of customary discoverability.
Apollum may analyse content and usage data in anonymized or aggregated form for statistical purposes as well as for securing and improving the platform and for training its own AI.
The user warrants that the user holds all rights required for the grant of rights under paragraphs 1 to 3.
After termination of the user relationship, Apollum removes the content from public display. Copies in backup and archive holdings may remain in place within the scope of statutory retention obligations and customary backup cycles.
Within the scope of the assigned user role and/or booked access models, Apollum grants commercial participants access via the user account to the content they themselves have posted and to the usage data collected in relation to their own listings (in particular view counts and interaction statistics). There is no further access to personal data of other users or to aggregated platform data extending beyond the participant’s own account, unless expressly agreed. The details also follow from the descriptions of functions and services for the respective access models.
Apollum may contact users by email and via the platform in connection with the user relationship, in particular to confirm registration, to administer the account, for contractual, security and system notices and regarding amendments to these Terms of Use.
Promotional communication takes place only to the extent that consent has been given for it or a statutory permission exists.
The user keeps the email address stored in the user account able to receive messages and up to date. Declarations by Apollum sent to this address are deemed to have been received as soon as the user is able to retrieve them under normal circumstances.
Apollum provides a procedure for reporting content that is unlawful or violates these Terms of Use. Reports may be submitted via the reporting function on the respective listing or to legal@apollum.com. The report must contain the location of the content complained of and the reasons for the complaint and – except in the case of reports concerning child sexual abuse – the name and email address of the reporting person. Apollum confirms receipt without undue delay and communicates its decision and the available remedies.
If a user violates these Terms of Use or applicable law, Apollum is entitled, at its due discretion and taking into account the legitimate interests of the user, to take in particular the following measures:
Apollum selects the measure taking into account the severity, duration and frequency of the violation, any fault and the interests of the parties involved. As a rule, the user is informed before a permanent block or a termination, unless this cannot reasonably be expected of Apollum, in particular in the case of serious violations, of statutory or official obligations or of imminent danger to third parties or to Apollum’s systems.
Apollum informs the affected user of the measure and the reasons for it, to the extent that this is not excluded by law. In relation to commercial participants, the statement of reasons is provided before or at the latest when the measure takes effect. The statement of reasons contains information on the facts on which the decision is based, on the legal basis of the measure and on whether the decision was taken by automated means, as well as a reference to the possibility of objection under paragraph 5 and to available out-of-court dispute resolution options, to the extent that such options exist.
The user may object to a measure in text form to legal@apollum.com within four weeks of receipt of the notification. Apollum examines the objection and communicates the result with reasons. If a measure proves to be unfounded, it is reversed without undue delay.
Further statutory rights and claims of Apollum remain unaffected.
Apollum is a micro-enterprise within the meaning of Recommendation 2003/361/EC and is therefore exempt under Article 19 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 from the additional obligations for online platforms, in particular from establishing an internal complaint-handling system with a minimum access period of six months under Article 20(1) of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065, from the obligation regarding out-of-court dispute resolution and from the transparency reporting obligation under Article 24 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065. The objection period under paragraph 5 remains unaffected by this.
Apollum endeavours to provide the platform reliably. There is no entitlement to continuous availability, unless an availability commitment has been expressly agreed.
Technical changes, maintenance work, interruptions or restrictions may occur. Plannable maintenance work is announced where possible and scheduled for periods of low usage.
Apollum is entitled to develop further, change or replace the platform, individual functions and service components, provided that the purpose of the user relationship is not thereby defeated in its essence and the change is reasonable for the user. Material changes are communicated to the user in text form at least four weeks before they take effect.
If a change under paragraph 3 results in a restriction of a booked access model that is not merely insignificant, the user may give extraordinary notice of termination of that access model within six weeks of receipt of the notification. In this case, remuneration already paid in advance is refunded pro rata temporis.
Apollum is liable without limitation in cases of intent and gross negligence, for injury to life, body or health, for fraudulent concealment of a defect, to the extent of a guarantee assumed and under the German Product Liability Act (Produkthaftungsgesetz).
In cases of simple negligence, Apollum is liable only for breach of a material contractual obligation (cardinal obligation), that is, an obligation whose fulfilment makes the proper performance of the contract possible in the first place and on whose observance the user may regularly rely. In this case, liability is limited to the foreseeable damage typical of the contract.
In all other respects, liability is excluded to the extent permitted by law.
Within the scope of paragraphs 1 to 3, liability is excluded in particular for lost revenue, lost profits, lost market opportunities, transactions that did not come about, losses in reach, visibility or placement and for expectations regarding the future range of functions of the platform.
Apollum is not liable for the content, statements, commitments and conduct of other users, nor for contracts which users conclude among themselves, nor for the performance of such contracts.
In the event of loss of data, Apollum is liable only for the effort that would have been necessary for restoration if the user had made proper and regular data backups.
The above limitations of liability also apply in favour of Apollum’s legal representatives, employees and vicarious agents.
The user indemnifies Apollum against all claims which third parties assert against Apollum on account of the infringement of their rights or on account of legal violations arising from the offers, content or statements posted by the user and/or on account of violations of these Terms of Use, to the extent that the user is responsible for this.
To this extent, the user also bears the reasonable costs of Apollum’s legal defence and legal advice, including court costs and lawyers’ fees, as well as other necessary third-party costs (e.g. experts).
Apollum will inform the user without undue delay of any claim asserted against it, give the user the opportunity to comment and will not make any acknowledgement or conclude any settlement without the user’s consent, to the extent that this can reasonably be expected of Apollum.
Further claims for damages on the part of Apollum remain unaffected.
Apollum processes personal data exclusively in accordance with the applicable data protection provisions. Details of the nature, scope, purpose and legal bases of the processing are set out in the privacy policy.
The user undertakes to observe Apollum’s data protection notices and to process personal data of other users exclusively in the context of initiating and carrying out business. Any processing beyond this, in particular for advertising or profiling purposes, is not permitted without a separate legal basis.
If the user processes personal data of the user’s own customers or users, the user is itself responsible for this under data protection law. This also applies in particular to processing which the user carries out with or via the platform. Section 13 applies accordingly.
To the extent that, in an individual case, processing on behalf of a controller or joint controllership exists, the parties conclude the agreements required by law for this purpose.
The parties undertake to treat as confidential all information from this user relationship that is not publicly known, to use it exclusively for the purposes of the user relationship and to protect it by appropriate confidentiality measures within the meaning of the German Trade Secrets Act (Geschäftsgeheimnisgesetz).
The obligation applies for the duration of the user relationship and continues for three years thereafter.
Statutory or official disclosure obligations remain unaffected; the disclosing party informs the other party in advance where possible.
The user relationship under these Terms of Use is concluded for an indefinite period.
The user may terminate the user relationship at any time without observing a notice period and have the user account deleted, via the corresponding function in the user account or by message to legal@apollum.com.
Apollum may terminate the user relationship in text form with 30 days’ notice.
The right to extraordinary termination for good cause remains unaffected. Good cause for Apollum exists in particular in the event of significant or repeated violations of these Terms of Use despite a warning, of incorrect statements made at registration, of default in payment despite a reminder, of the opening of insolvency proceedings over the user’s assets or the refusal to open such proceedings for lack of assets, and of imminent significant infringements of rights or damage to reputation.
The terms of booked access models remain unaffected. Termination of the user relationship by the user takes effect at the earliest upon expiry of a current access model, unless the user has an earlier right of termination. If Apollum terminates without a reason for which the user is responsible, remuneration paid in advance is refunded pro rata temporis.
When the termination takes effect, the rights of access to the platform lapse. Apollum is entitled to delete the user’s content once 30 days have elapsed after termination; statutory retention obligations remain unaffected. The user is itself responsible for backing up the user’s content and data in good time.
Notices of termination must be given in text form.
Apollum may amend or adapt these Terms of Use if this is necessary for legal, technical or economic reasons, in particular
Amendments that affect the relationship between performance and consideration, and amendments that would unreasonably disadvantage the user, are not covered by this.
Amendments are communicated to the user in text form at least six weeks before they take effect, by email to the stored address or by a clear notice on the platform.
The user may object to the amendments in text form within six weeks of receipt of the notification.
In relation to commercial participants, the following applies: if the commercial participant does not object within the period under paragraph 3, the amended Terms of Use are deemed to have been accepted. Apollum specifically draws attention to the period, the right to object and the significance of silence in the amendment notice. The commercial participant may terminate the user relationship at any time without notice until the amendment takes effect.
In relation to consumers, the following applies: the amended Terms of Use take effect only if the consumer consents to them.
If a user objects to the amendments or a consumer does not consent to them, the user relationship continues on the previous terms. In this case, Apollum is entitled to terminate the user relationship in compliance with the notice period under section 16 paragraph 3, but at the earliest upon expiry of a period for which remuneration has already been paid.
Paragraphs 1 to 6 apply accordingly to amendments to supplementary terms.
Sections 18 to 22 apply additionally and, in the event of conflict, with priority to commercial participants, that is, to users who are entrepreneurs within the meaning of § 14 BGB (German Civil Code).
The commercial participant provides evidence of its status as an entrepreneur on request, in particular by means of an extract from the commercial register, a business registration or a VAT identification number. Apollum may make the activation of dealer-related and brand-related functions conditional on this evidence.
When using the platform, the commercial participant must exercise the due care of a prudent merchant.
Upon conclusion of the contract, the commercial participant grants Apollum the non-exclusive, worldwide right, free of charge and limited in time to the duration of the user relationship, to use its word marks and figurative marks, logos, company names and other signs as well as product images and marketing materials provided by it, in particular, but not exclusively,
to the extent that this is necessary to present its participation in the platform; for backup and archive copies and materials already published within the meaning of paragraph 7, the right of use continues to apply for this limited purpose without limitation in time.
The right of use includes in particular the presentation of the dealer or brand logo in overviews, lists, teasers, search results and comparable contexts as well as the technical processing required for this, such as scaling, format adjustment and background removal, without altering the distinctive character.
Any use beyond this, for example for merchandise or for licensing to third parties, is not included.
On request, the commercial participant will provide Apollum, free of charge, with suitable data and image material for achieving the purposes set out in paragraphs 1 and 2.
The commercial participant warrants that it holds all rights required for the grant of rights under paragraphs 1 to 4 and that use in accordance with the contract does not infringe any third-party rights. Section 13 applies accordingly.
The commercial participant may revoke the use of individual signs for good cause, in particular if the use infringes third-party rights or significantly impairs its legitimate interest.
After termination of the user relationship, Apollum ceases further use of the signs without undue delay, to the extent that this can reasonably be expected of it. Printed materials already produced, backup and archive holdings and depictions in press, reference and lecture materials already published need not be recalled or deleted.
This section describes the main parameters according to which listings, dealers and brands are ranked on the platform in overviews, categories and search results, as well as their relative importance.
If the user has selected a sort order, a search query or filters, the ranking is determined exclusively by this selection and by how well the content matches it. A sort order selected by the user takes precedence over all other parameters.
Otherwise, ranking is based on the following main parameters, in descending order of importance:
a) Match with the query. The decisive factor is how well the brand, model, category, product features and texts of the listing match the search query and the filters set. This parameter carries the greatest weight.
b) Completeness and quality of the listing. Account is taken in particular of the presence and quality of images, the completeness of the product, condition and mandatory information, the assignment to brand and category and the existence of a version in the user’s language.
c) Recency. Account is taken of the time of publication and of the last substantive update of the listing.
d) Availability status. Listings marked as reserved by the offering user are ranked below available listings.
e) Language and region. Content that is available in the user’s language may be ranked preferentially.
No provision is made for influencing the ranking in return for payment. Neither direct or indirect remuneration nor the type or scope of a booked access model affects the ranking within a list of results. The booked access model determines exclusively which functions and forms of presentation are available to a user.
Apollum does not offer any products of its own on the platform and does not give preferential treatment in the ranking either to its own offers or to offers of affiliated companies.
Editorial content, recommendations and thematic compilations are curated by Apollum and marked as such; they do not constitute a ranking within the meaning of this section.
Apollum is not obliged to disclose the algorithm, weighting factors in detail or other information the disclosure of which would enable the ranking to be manipulated to the detriment of other users.
There is no entitlement to a particular placement. If Apollum changes the main parameters or their relative importance, this section is adapted accordingly; section 17 applies.
Complaints by commercial participants in connection with the platform may be addressed at any time in text form to legal@apollum.com. Apollum examines complaints promptly and communicates the result with reasons.
Apollum employs fewer than 50 persons and has an annual turnover of less than 10 million euros and is therefore exempt from the obligation to establish an internal complaint-handling system and to name mediators under Regulation (EU) 2019/1150. The willingness to engage in amicable dispute resolution in the individual case remains unaffected by this.
Section 23 paragraph 2 does not apply to commercial participants.
The commercial participant may transfer rights and obligations under the user relationship to third parties only with Apollum’s prior consent in text form; § 354a HGB (German Commercial Code) remains unaffected.
Claims of the commercial participant against Apollum become time-barred twelve months after the statutory commencement of the limitation period, unless Apollum is liable without limitation under section 12 paragraph 1 or a longer statutory limitation period is mandatory. § 202 (1) BGB remains unaffected.
The law of the Federal Republic of Germany applies, to the exclusion of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.
If the user is a consumer and mandatory consumer protection provisions of the state of the user’s habitual residence are more favourable to the user, these remain unaffected.
The place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising from or in connection with the user relationship is the registered office of Apollum, currently Münster, provided that the user is a merchant, a legal person under public law or a special fund under public law or has no general place of jurisdiction in the Federal Republic of Germany. Apollum remains entitled to bring an action against the user at the user’s general place of jurisdiction as well. This provision does not apply in relation to consumers pursuant to § 13 BGB.
Amendments and additions to these Terms of Use require text form, unless otherwise provided, in particular in section 17. Individual agreements between Apollum and the user take precedence over these Terms of Use.
Apollum is entitled to transfer the user relationship to a legal successor in the course of a transfer of the company or of a business. In this case, the user may terminate the user relationship without notice within 30 days of notification.
Should individual provisions of these Terms of Use be or become invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions remains unaffected. The invalid provision is replaced by the statutory provision; if there is none, a valid provision that comes closest to the economic purpose of the invalid provision is deemed to have been agreed between the parties.
Only the German version of these Terms of Use is legally authoritative and binding. Versions in other languages serve exclusively as a non-binding translation and aid to understanding. In the event of discrepancies, ambiguities, questions of interpretation or contradictions, the German version prevails in every respect. Paragraph 2 remains unaffected.
Apollum is neither obliged nor willing to participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board.
