Impressum (Legal Notice).

Art. 3(1)(s) UWG requires anyone offering goods, works or services in electronic commerce to provide clear and complete information about their identity and contact address, including an email address. The term 'electronic commerce' is interpreted broadly: it covers not only online shops but also company websites through which services are offered or enquiries are generated.

The minimum content includes the full name or the company name as entered in the commercial register, the legal form for legal entities, a postal address (a PO box alone is not enough) and an email address. Customary and recommended in addition are a phone number, the Swiss business identification number (UID), the VAT number and, for companies, the persons authorised to represent them. For certain professions — healthcare professions or lawyers, for example — additional details such as licences or supervisory authorities may be useful or required.

The Impressum must be easy to find. A link labelled 'Impressum' or 'Legal notice' in the footer of every page has proved its worth. It should be distinguished from the privacy policy, which explains how personal data is processed — see Swiss Data Protection Act (DSG). Both pages can be linked side by side but should remain separate in content.

Beyond the legal side, the Impressum serves trust and visibility. Visitors use it to check whether a real company stands behind an offering. Search engines and AI systems use consistent company details to recognise a business as an entity — the same details as in the Google Business Profile and in directories strengthen that picture; see NAP. This entry explains a term; it is not legal advice.