Hamsterkiste Terms of Use
As of: 24 October 2026
1 Provider and Scope
The Hamsterkiste is provided by:
Hamsterkiste Media GbR
Satingsbaane 3
49828 Neuenhaus
Email: lernportal@hamsterkiste.de
These terms of use apply to the following services:
- www.hamsterkiste.de
- lesen-und-schreiben.hamsterkiste.de
- www.gbiu.de
- www.grafschafter-geschichte.de
They govern free private use and the purchase of paid licences for use in education, childcare and therapy. The version agreed upon when the contract is concluded applies to licence agreements. A later change to these Terms of Use does not automatically amend existing contracts.
2 Private use is free of charge
You may use the resources listed for personal purposes free of charge. This applies in particular to children and their families. You can view, read and listen to the content, and download and print any materials provided for personal use.
You do not need to place an order or register. You do not need to enter any personal information to use this service. For information about the technical processing of personal data when visiting our websites, see our privacy policy.
Children may also use the resources privately, even if their school does not have a licence.
3 Use in schools or institutions
We offer paid licences for using our copyright-protected texts and materials in educational, childcare or therapeutic work.
They are intended in particular for schools, tutoring centers, child and youth welfare organizations, therapeutic centers, adult education centers, and individual teachers, caregivers, and specialists.
A licence is required if the intended use requires our consent and is not already permitted by law or under another valid authorisation.
Uses permitted by law remain unaffected. In particular, these terms of use do not restrict existing statutory rights to use the material for teaching and education, quotations or private copies.
Simply visiting our websites or adding a link does not create a paid licence agreement.
We enter into paid licensing agreements exclusively with public and private institutions, their legally authorized bodies, and companies. People placing orders act on behalf of the respective contracting party and must be authorized to represent it.
4 School and classroom licenses
A school or institution licence applies to the school or institution specified in the booking confirmation. It covers all teaching, care and therapeutic staff, other employees, and the learners and participants receiving support there.
The licence covers all the projects listed in Section 1.
Multiple locations belonging to the same school or institution are covered if they are specified during booking. Legally or organisationally independent institutions run by the same organisation each require their own licence.
The price tier is determined by the total number of classes or permanently established learning groups at the time of booking. The same class or group is not counted more than once because of a temporary split.
Please let us know if the group size changes. Any resulting change to the price category will only take effect by separate agreement.
5 Permitted uses under a licence
During the license period, authorized users may use the materials for their work, in particular to:
- open and show in class or during care and therapy;
- download and save on devices used for work or business purposes;
- print and copy for eligible learners and participants;
- assign as homework;
- make available on closed learning platforms or course areas with access restrictions;
- deliver digitally to the respective authorized learners and participants;
- shorten for your own teaching, add exercises and adjust the difficulty level.
The scope of copying and digital provision depends on the needs of the eligible persons and groups.
Existing copyright and source information must be retained. Your own changes must be identified. Adaptations must not give the impression that they are unchanged original materials from Hamsterkiste.
The terms of use specified for each item apply to separately identified third-party content. The license does not extend to content on external websites that are merely linked to.
6 You must not do this
Without additional permission, original materials and adaptations may not, in particular:
- be published on freely accessible websites or in public file repositories;
- be passed on to schools, institutions or professionals not covered by the licence;
- sold or offered as part of one's own commercial collections of materials.
This does not affect the permitted distribution to learners and participants covered by the licence, including for work at home.
Legally permitted uses remain unaffected here as well.
7 Prices and payment
The following total prices apply for each 12-month paid period and include statutory VAT:
Licence 1: For 9 or more classes or learning groups 159 €
License 2: Grades or learning groups 4 to 8 129 €
License 3: Up to 3 classes or learning groups 99 €
Trial licence: for 4 months €69
The license fee is invoiced annually in advance. Invoices are payable within 14 days of receipt, without deduction. Price changes to existing contracts require a separate agreement.
8 Booking and conclusion of contract
By submitting the booking form, you make a binding offer to enter into the selected licence agreement.
The contract is concluded once we expressly accept the booking by email. An automatically sent confirmation of receipt also constitutes acceptance only if this is expressly stated in the confirmation.
In the booking confirmation, we specify the contracting party, licence type, eligible school or institution, price, and start and end dates of the initial term.
If you are booking on behalf of a school or institution, you must be authorised to act for the intended contracting party. If the school or institution is operated by a different organisation, please specify it when booking.
The trial licence is booked for a fixed period. It expires automatically, but can be converted to another licence. The trial licence fee will be credited towards the new licence.
9 Start of the term and renewal
Licensed use is permitted from the date the agreement is concluded. The paid licence period begins on the first day of the following calendar month. The time between signing the agreement and that date is not charged separately. The initial term is twelve paid months. For example, an agreement signed on 24 October would begin on 1 November and end on 31 October the following year.
Since the contracting party is generally a business, a legal entity under public law or a special fund under public law, the contract is automatically extended for a further twelve months unless it is terminated at least four weeks before the end of the current licence period.
10 Cancellation and Consequences of Contract Termination
You can cancel in writing, for example by emailing lernportal@hamsterkiste.de or by post to the address given in Section 1. Please state the licensed school, institution or person and, if available, the invoice or customer number.
The date on which the notice of termination is received is decisive for compliance with the notice period. We will confirm receipt and the contract end date in text form. The right to terminate without notice for good cause remains unaffected.
After the contract ends, uses permitted exclusively under the license may not continue. The corresponding files must be removed from active resource collections and learning platforms.
Worksheets already distributed lawfully and completed student work do not need to be recalled or destroyed. However, this does not grant permission to make further copies or use them in new lessons.
11 Further development and legal rights
Hamsterkiste is continually maintained and developed. Content may be updated, supplemented or replaced with comparable materials. The agreed nature and essential scope of the licensed service will be maintained. These terms of use do not limit statutory claims relating to service failures or defects, or statutory claims for liability.
12 Privacy and Contact
Information about the processing of personal data when you visit the website and when arranging a license booking can be found in our Privacy Policy.
If you have questions about use, the appropriate license or an existing booking, you can reach us at: lernportal@hamsterkiste.de