Last updated: 12 August 2026
Nicolaas Cottenie values the protection of your personal data and your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains which personal data may be collected through this website, why this data is processed, and what rights you have.
This Privacy Policy applies to nicolaascottenie.eu.
1. Who am I?
This website is operated by:
Nicolaas Cottenie
04315 Leipzig
Germany
Email: nicolaas@nicolaascottenie.eu
Phone Belgium: +32 498 288 728
Phone Germany: +49 179 21 31 496
Nicolaas Cottenie is responsible for the processing of personal data as described in this Privacy Policy.
2. Which personal data is processed?
Depending on how you use the website, different types of personal data may be processed.
Contact
When you contact me by email, telephone, or through another means of communication, the following information may be processed:
- your name;
- your email address;
- your telephone number;
- the content of your message;
- any other information you choose to provide.
This information is used to respond to your enquiry and to communicate with you.
Orders
The website allows you to order CDs, digital music, sheet music, and other products.
When you place an order, the following information may be requested:
- first and last name;
- email address;
- address;
- postal code and city;
- country;
- the products you wish to order;
- any additional information you choose to provide.
This information is used to process your order, contact you regarding the order, provide payment information, and deliver physical or digital products.
Where information is required for administrative, accounting, or legal purposes, it may be retained for the applicable statutory retention period.
Lessons, workshops and other professional enquiries
When you contact me regarding violin lessons, workshops, concerts, collaborations, or other professional activities, the information you provide will be used to handle your enquiry and communicate with you about it.
Technical data
When you visit the website, certain technical information may be processed automatically, such as:
- your IP address;
- browser and device type;
- operating system;
- date and time of your visit;
- pages visited;
- technical log data.
This information may be necessary for the proper and secure operation of the website, for resolving technical issues, and for preventing misuse.
3. Why is personal data processed?
Personal data is only processed where there is a valid legal basis for doing so.
Depending on the situation, processing may be based on:
- the performance of a contract or steps taken prior to entering into a contract, for example when you order a product, request a lesson, or enquire about a performance or collaboration;
- a legal obligation, for example accounting or tax obligations;
- a legitimate interest, for example the security, administration, and improvement of the website and services;
- your consent, for example for certain non-essential cookies or external content.
Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time.
4. Cookies
This website uses cookies and similar technologies.
Some cookies are necessary for the website to function correctly. Other cookies may be used for preferences, statistics, or external services.
Where consent is required, you will be asked for your consent before non-essential cookies are placed.
More information about the cookies used, their purposes, and retention periods can be found in the separate Cookie Policy on this website.
You can change your cookie preferences at any time through the cookie settings.
5. External content and services
The website may contain content or services provided by third parties, such as videos, fonts, maps, links, or other embedded content.
The website may, for example, use services such as YouTube to display videos and Google Fonts for web fonts.
When third-party content is loaded, these providers may receive technical information such as your IP address and may use cookies or similar technologies.
Where required, non-essential third-party services will only be loaded after you have given your consent.
The processing of personal data by third-party providers is also subject to their own privacy policies.
6. Who is personal data shared with?
Personal data is not sold to third parties.
Personal data may, however, be shared with external service providers where this is necessary for the operation of the website or the provision of services.
These may include:
- hosting and IT service providers;
- website management and technical service providers;
- email and communication providers;
- providers of external website functionality;
- shipping or delivery services where required for an order;
- accounting or administrative service providers.
These parties only receive access to personal data to the extent necessary to provide their services.
Personal data may also be shared where required by law.
7. Transfers outside the European Economic Area
Some external service providers may process personal data outside the European Economic Area.
Where personal data is transferred outside the European Economic Area, appropriate safeguards will be implemented where required in accordance with applicable data protection legislation.
8. How long is personal data retained?
Personal data is not retained for longer than necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.
The specific retention period depends on the type of information and the purpose for which it is processed.
For example:
- information from contact enquiries may be retained for as long as necessary to handle and follow up the enquiry;
- information relating to orders may be retained for as long as necessary to process and follow up the order;
- information required for accounting, tax, or other legal obligations may be retained for the applicable statutory retention period;
- technical information and server logs are retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for security and the technical operation of the website;
- cookie-related information is retained in accordance with the periods specified in the Cookie Policy.
9. Security
Appropriate technical and organisational measures are taken to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, or alteration.
However, no method of electronic storage or data transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
10. Your rights
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you may have various rights regarding your personal data, depending on the circumstances.
These include the right to:
- receive information about the processing of your personal data;
- access your personal data;
- have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected;
- request the deletion of personal data where the legal requirements are met;
- request restriction of the processing of your personal data;
- object to certain types of processing;
- receive your personal data in a portable format in certain circumstances;
- withdraw your consent at any time where processing is based on consent.
If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact:
To protect your personal data, you may be asked to verify your identity before a request is processed.
11. Complaints
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the processing of your personal data, please contact me first at:
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent data protection authority.
As Nicolaas Cottenie is based in Leipzig, the competent authority is:
Sächsische Datenschutz- und Transparenzbeauftragte
Maternistraße 17
01067 Dresden
Germany
Email: post@sdtb.sachsen.de
Phone: +49 351 85471-101
Where applicable, you may also lodge a complaint with another competent European data protection authority.
12. Changes to this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time, for example if the website, services, or legal requirements change.
The most recent version will always be published on this page. The date at the top of this page indicates when the Privacy Policy was last updated.
13. Contact
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or the processing of your personal data, please contact:
Nicolaas Cottenie
04315 Leipzig
Germany
Email: nicolaas@nicolaascottenie.eu
Phone Belgium: +32 498 288 728
Phone Germany: +49 179 21 31 496