§ 1 Name and domicile

(1) The association’s name is “no abuse in internet (naiin)”. It is entered in the Registry of Associations and carries the appendage "e.V." [registered association].

(2) The association is domiciled in Berlin.


§ 2 Aims and objectives

The objective of the association is to promote crime prevention and education.

The promotion of crime prevention is to be realised by uncovering unethical or illegal content, in particular content that is characterised by depravity or incites violent acts or racial hatred and/or discrimination against minorities, developing appropriate countermeasures for voluntary self-control of the Internet community, and demonstrating ways in which these controls can be implemented.

To this end, the Association will educate the public on abusive use of the Internet and cooperate with the responsible authorities in cities and communities and in the Federal Republic and its states.

The Association maintains a registry for reporting abusive use of the Internet and works hand-in-hand with comparable initiatives.

Any user can report abusive sites on the naiin website. naiin handles these reports as follows: It is first determined whether or not the content is abusive. The current German criminal law is the criterion used to make this determination. If the material is indeed abusive, the responsible provider is localised (if possible) and requested to shut down the website in question. At the same time, these sites are reported to the responsible criminal prosecution authorities. In the case of foreign providers, it is also requested that the sites be shut down even if German criminal law cannot be enforced in the country in question.

Informing and educating the public takes place through information contained on the website, newsletters which are sent to any interested party, workgroups, events, and lectures, among other activities.


§ 3 Business year

The association’s business year is the calendar year.


§ 4 Membership

(1) Any natural person and any interested corporate entity, governed by private and public law and any government authority may belong to the association. Every member is required to pay a yearly membership fee.

(2) Decisions on written applications are made by the Board of Directors.

(3) Membership shall end in the event of:

A. the death of a member, or closure, in the case of corporate entities;

B. written resignation, directed to the association or one of its chairs, which, however, shall only be valid as of the end of the respective calendar month;

C. from the association;

D. expulsion from the membership list.

(4) Any member responsible for behaviour that is detrimental to the interests of the association can be excluded from the association by means of a decision made by the Board of Directors. Before being excluded, the member in question must be given an opportunity to present his or her case personally or in writing. The decision regarding exclusion must be in writing and the member must be delivered a copy of the decision. Confirmation of receipt is required. An appeal may be made within a month, starting on the day on which notice was received. The General Assembly shall make the decision on the appeal. If the member does not make use of his or her right to appeal within the specified deadline, then that member will be subjected to the exclusion decision.

(5) Expulsion of the member from the list of members shall be undertaken by the Board of Directors when the member is delinquent in the payment of his or her membership fees and, even after receiving written notice from the Board of Directors to the member’s last known address, he or she does not send full payment of membership fees due. The payment reminder notice must refer to the impending expulsion of the member from the association.

(6) In addition to the standard membership, sponsor memberships are also available. Sponsor membership is subject to approval by the Board of Directors. The membership is valid for one year and is coupled with a donation. Sponsor members do not have the right to vote at the Members' General Assembly.


§ 5 Bodies of the Association

The association bodies are:

1. the Members’ General Assembly,
2. the Board of Directors.


§ 6 General Assemblies

(1) The senior chair of the Board of Directors convenes an annual General Assembly by sending written notice to each member. Such notice must be sent to members at least four weeks prior to the General Assembly. This period begins on the day after such notices are sent. A member is deemed to have received notice of an assembly if such notice has been sent to the latest postal or e-mail address given in writing to the association by said member. The invitation must be publicised on the association’s website.

(2) The agenda set by the Board of Directors must be enclosed in the invitation to the General Assembly.

(3) It is incumbent on the Members’ General Assembly to perform the following duties:

A. To approve the budget for the upcoming business year,

B. To receive business reports made by the Board of Directors and to take all decisions in respect of discharging or relieving the Board of Directors,

C. To elect the Board of Directors,

D. To set the level of membership fees,

E. To decide on any changes to the Articles,

F. To take decisions on the appeal of a member regarding his expulsion from the Board of Directors.

(4) A three-quarters majority of the association members in attendance is required for the approval of any change to the Articles of Association; a change in the aims and objectives of the association also requires a three-quarters majority. As for the rest, Section 32 of the BGB [German Civil Code] shall apply. With respect to elections, the candidate that receives more than half of the votes submitted shall be considered as the candidate chosen from among several other candidates. If this number of votes is not reached, then a decisive vote shall be held between the candidates that received the highest number of votes; if the number of votes for both candidates is the same, then the winning candidate shall be decided by the lot drawn by the assembly leader.

(5) The Board of Directors must immediately convene a General Assembly when the interests of the association demand it or when at least 10 percent of the members demand that an assembly is convened in writing, indicating the purpose and reasons for their demand.

(6) Minutes must be kept on the decisions made in the General Assembly. The assembly leader must sign these minutes.

(7) Further details shall be regulated by the rules of procedure.


§ 7 Board of directors

(1) The association’s Board of Directors shall consist of the senior chair, the junior chair, the treasurer and the secretary. In all legal and extrajudicial affairs, the association shall be represented by two members of the Board of Directors.

(2) The Board of Directors is elected by the Members’ General Assembly for a period of one year. The Board of Directors remains in office until there is a new board election. If a member leaves the Board of Directors before the due end of his or her term of office, the Members’ General Assembly shall elect a successor for the remainder of the term.


§ 8 Membership fees

Membership fees are yearly fees payable in advance on November 30th of each year. The General Assembly sets the level for membership fees. It can empower the Board of Directors to waive the membership fees in part or whole for special groups of persons.


§ 8 a Altruism

(1) The association operates on an altruistic basis. It does not primarily pursue aims for its own commercial purposes.

(2) The association’s funds are exclusively earmarked for financing functions prescribed by these Articles and may only be used for such purposes. No allowances are payable to members from the association’s funds.

(3) No individual may benefit from disbursements for any reason that is contrary to the aims of the membership as a whole, nor may anyone receive emoluments at disproportionate levels.


§ 9 Dissolution of the organisation and seizure of the organisation’s assets

(1) The dissolution of the organisation requires a three-quarters majority of the organisation's members.

(2) If the organisation is dissolved or if the purpose making it eligible for tax relief is discontinued, its assets shall go to the Amadeu-Antonio-Stiftung [foundation], Chausseestrasse 29, 10115 Berlin, Germany, which shall directly and exclusively use these assets for purposes eligible for tax relief.