Terms and Conditions

2.1 Mentor Lane operates the platform described in § 1. Mentor Lane sees itself as a mentoring community in which mentors and mentees can come together and work together on a long-term basis, depending on their stated interests. Mentor Lane uses an algorithm to suggest suitable mentors to the mentee based on their profile data.

2.2 In order to establish a long-term relationship between mentors and mentees, Mentor Lane can be used in the following ways:

• Mentor Lane Community: The mentee can use all Mentor Lane features and work with as many mentors as they want at the same time.
• Personal mentor matching: Mentor Lane searches the Mentor Lane network itself to find a suitable mentor for the mentee and makes appropriate suggestions.
• Individual search: Mentor Lane searches the Mentor Lane network itself and, above all, outside the network to find a suitable mentor for the mentee and makes appropriate suggestions to the mentee.

The fees described in detail on the website https://mentorlane.com/mentor-finden/#preise apply for use.

2.3 In addition, there are two add-ons that can be booked by the mentee. However, there is no obligation to do so.

• Personal mentor matching: Mentor Lane searches the Mentor Lane network itself and manually for a suitable mentor for the mentee and submits appropriate suggestions to them.
• Individual search: Mentor Lane searches the Mentor Lane network itself and manually, and above all outside of it, for a suitable mentor for the mentee and submits appropriate suggestions to the mentee.

Please refer to the price list for prices.

2.4 Since mentees are looking for mentors who are suited to their goals and needs, mentors undertake to always provide truthful information in their platform profile. If a mentor is not an expert in a particular field or industry, they should not click on it or market themselves as such. The mentor should only offer mentoring in a specific area if they have already dealt with the topic intensively and believe they can add value to the mentoring relationship.

2.5 The selection of mentors is limited to the current digital mentor pool on the Mentor Lane platform and is at the discretion of the mentee. The mentee is free to contact as many mentors as they wish and submit requests via "Request Mentoring" until a suitable mentor is found. The mentee may work with a varying number of mentors.

2.6 If, after initial contact and/or a first meeting, the mentor and mentee agree to a mentoring relationship by clicking "Accept," the collaboration begins.

2.7 Since the establishment of the mentoring relationship ultimately depends on the agreement between the mentor and mentee, Mentor Lane does not guarantee the success of the placement. Success is therefore not guaranteed. If the placement is unsuccessful, the mentee is not entitled to a refund of any fees paid. However, Mentor Lane will always endeavor to provide the mentee with the best possible support in establishing the mentoring relationship.

2.8 Before, during, and after the establishment of a mentoring relationship, Mentor Lane supports customers in the interest of successful mentoring with information and support materials, as well as personal support ("support"). This support corresponds to the scope of services and duration of the mentee's booked membership.

2.9 Beyond mediation and promotion, Mentor Lane does not offer mentoring itself. The mentoring provided by the mentor takes place solely within the framework of the mentoring relationship. This legal relationship is independent of the customer's respective contract with Mentor Lane and exists only between the mentee and the mentor. Following the placement, the mentee therefore concludes a separate agreement on mentoring with the mentor on mutually agreed terms ("mentoring agreement"). Mentor Lane recommends that the mentee, within the framework of this mentoring agreement, set out the terms of the mentoring (e.g., free of charge and/or for remuneration, objectives, frequency of meetings, etc.) with the mentor in writing at the beginning of the mentoring relationship. This recommendation is made for clarification purposes. However, it is up to the mentee and mentor to decide whether to draw up an agreement in writing. The mentoring relationship is designed and carried out independently by the mentee and mentor. Mentor Lane brings mentors and mentees together as part of the placement process. Mentors do not work for Mentor Lane as employees or freelancers, nor are they agents in any form. Mentor Lane is therefore not responsible to the mentee for the proper execution of the mentoring agreement.

4.1 The mentoring relationship is a collaboration between mentor and mentee to achieve the mentee's jointly agreed goals. The mentor is available to answer all of the mentee's questions relating to mentoring. The mentee strives to use the time with their mentor effectively for personal development. Both parties are responsible for treating each other openly, reliably, honestly, and politely, and for maintaining confidentiality at all times. The mentor always acts in accordance with their role model status. Since the success of the mentoring relationship ultimately depends on the cooperation between mentor and mentee, Mentor Lane cannot guarantee the success of the mentoring and the continuation of the mentoring relationship beyond the term of the contract. Mentor Lane merely acts as an intermediary and is never part of the mentoring relationship.

4.2 The mentor is obliged to adhere to individual agreements regarding joint meetings with the mentee. Ideally, these should take place in person, but they can also be held by telephone or virtually, for example. The decision on this is left to the agreement between the mentor and mentee. The mentor will support the mentee in their personal development and behave accordingly. A mentoring relationship brings benefits and inspiration to both the mentor and the mentee and is not to be understood as coaching or teaching for the mentee. In particular, the mentor shall not behave in a disrespectful, superior, or arrogant manner toward the mentee, nor shall they request confidential documents or information from them (e.g., passport, credit card, or ID information).

4.3 Mentors and mentees should adhere to general rules of conduct such as punctuality, keeping appointments, and complying with other agreements. Personal or business information and data belonging to the mentee or mentor may not be disclosed to third parties without the consent of the other party, although the mentor or mentee is free to enter into a separate confidentiality agreement with the other party.

4.4 The aim is to establish a long-term mentoring relationship between mentor and mentee lasting several months. However, short-term “mentoring sessions” and meetings on specific topics are also permitted within the framework of a short-term mentoring relationship between mentor and mentee limited to a few hours. These mentoring sessions differ only in duration, but not in any other aspects of the mentoring relationship.

5.1 The mentee undertakes not to enter into any mentoring relationship or other paid or unpaid cooperation with a mentor who was introduced to them by Mentor Lane or made known to them on the platform during the term of their membership and for a period of 12 months after its termination, unless this takes place outside the Mentor Lane platform or without the express consent of Mentor Lane.

5.2 Any contact or continuation of a mentoring relationship outside the platform that aims to circumvent the services of Mentor Lane shall be deemed a breach of contract and constitutes an impermissible circumvention of the mediation service.

5.3 A contractual penalty of EUR 1,500 shall be payable for each breach of 5.1 or 5.2. The right to claim further damages remains reserved. The customer reserves the right to prove that Mentor Lane has suffered no or less damage.

5.4 Mentor Lane reserves the right to take legal action in the event of a breach and to permanently exclude the customer from using the platform.

6.1 Mentors and mentees can access information, support materials, and other support measures provided by Mentor Lane via the platform (https://my.Mentorlane.com). For example, the Mentoring Support Guide, which contains articles and videos to help make mentoring as successful as possible, can be found there.

6.2 The customer bears full responsibility for their usage behavior and for the data they enter on the website and/or platform. Use of the website and the platform is only permitted within the scope of its intended use and applicable law. The customer must refrain from any legal violations or misuse of the platform. In particular, the customer is prohibited from using the website and/or the platform or content made available through it for the purpose of competing with Mentor Lane. Mentor Lane reserves the right to delete or make inaccessible all or part of the data stocks in order to protect the legal interests of its customers (e.g., if the website and/or the platform should become the subject of a hacker attack).

6.3 Mentor Lane shall only check the content of the information entered by the customer on the website and/or platform if it has knowledge of or a factually justified suspicion of specific illegal content. In the event of suspicion, the information concerned shall be blocked until the matter has been clarified. Mentor Lane also reserves the right to temporarily or permanently block the customer from the website and/or platform.

6.4 Mentor Lane does not provide any guarantee or other warranty with regard to the uninterrupted availability, accessibility, and functionality of the website and/or platform, in particular if the cause lies outside the sphere of control of Mentor Lane. However, Mentor Lane undertakes to maintain the technical equipment used to operate the website and the platform in working order in accordance with standard technical standards, and to adapt it to the state of the art and the usage behavior of its customers to a reasonable and economically justifiable extent. When carrying out the necessary maintenance work, the customer must accept temporary restrictions in the availability of the website and/or the platform.

6.5 In the event of complaints, customers have the right to submit an official complaint via email to [email protected]. Mentor Lane will initially respond with an automated confirmation of receipt before the team seeks a solution and promptly contacts the complaining party.

7.1 Membership on the Mentor Lane platform is subject to a fee for the mentee. The exact costs depend on whether the mentee chooses the "Mentor Lane Community" or possibly books an add-on, cf. § 2.2 of these terms and conditions.

7.2 Membership on the Mentor Lane platform is free of charge for the mentor.

7.3 The invoice amount is due within 14 days after receipt of the invoice issued by Mentor Lane to the customer and is payable without deductions. The customer can only raise objections to the invoice against Mentor Lane within two weeks after receiving the invoice.

7.4 The customer does not have a right of set-off or retention as long as the counterclaim is not undisputed or legally established.

8.1 The contract is valid for an indefinite period.

8.2 A regular termination is always possible at the end of the month by the customers and/or Mentor Lane. The termination of the usage contract by the customers must be declared to Mentor Lane. The termination requires written form to be effective.

8.3 The extraordinary termination for good cause remains unaffected for all parties. A significant reason for Mentor Lane arises particularly when the customer violates the central provisions of these terms and conditions. In the event of an extraordinary termination by Mentor Lane towards the mentee, the mentee has no claims for a refund of any contributions paid.

8.4 Mentor Lane has the option, in the presence of a corresponding reason, to (i) restrict the service offering for certain customers, (ii) suspend it fully or partially, or (iii) terminate it. In the case of a restriction or partial suspension, the customer must be informed of the extent and reason for the restriction or partial suspension. In the event of the termination of the offer, Mentor Lane will inform the customer 30 days prior to the effective date, stating the reason, that the contract will be terminated.

9.1 Claims for damages by the customer are excluded. Excluded from this are the customer's claims for damages arising from the breach of life, body, health, or from the breach of essential contractual obligations (cardinal duties) as well as liability for other damages caused by intentional or grossly negligent breaches of duty by Mentor Lane, its legal representatives, or vicarious agents. Essential contractual obligations are those whose fulfillment is necessary to achieve the goal of the contract and to the extent that the scope of the Product Liability Act ("ProdHaftG") is open.

9.2 In the event of a breach of essential contractual obligations, Mentor Lane is only liable for typical, foreseeable damages if these were caused by simple negligence, unless it concerns the customer's claims for damages due to injury to life, body, or health.

9.3 The limitations of paragraphs 1 and 2 also apply in favor of the legal representatives and vicarious agents of Mentor Lane when claims are made directly against them.

9.4 Mentor Lane is not liable (i) for the infringement of third-party (protection) rights or (ii) for the legality of the content exchanged by mentors or mentees.

9.5 Mentor Lane is not responsible for the success and goal achievement within the mentoring relationship. Accordingly, Mentor Lane is not liable for the advice or any other instructions and actions of the mentor/the mentee. Liability is rather determined by the legal relationship between the mentor and the mentee.

10.1 Mentor Lane collects customer data in the context of the conclusion and execution of the contract in accordance with applicable law. In doing so, the provisions of the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) and the Telemedia Act (TMG) will be particularly observed. Without the customer's consent, Mentor Lane will only collect, process, or use the customer's inventory and usage data to the extent necessary for the execution of the contractual relationship and for the utilization and billing of services by Mentor Lane. This particularly applies to the transfer of personal data of the mentee to potential mentors and of the potential mentor to the mentee within the framework of the placement.

10.2 Without the customer's consent, Mentor Lane will not use the customer's data for advertising, market, or opinion research purposes. Excluded from this is the use of the customer's name and email address within the legally permissible framework for the electronic sending of advertisements about products and services, as well as for cooperation partners of Mentor Lane.

10.3 Furthermore, reference is made to the privacy policy of Mentor Lane, which is always accessible on the website via the "Privacy" button or at the link https://mentorlane.com/datenschutz in printable form.

11.1 Mentor Lane is entitled to change the terms and conditions with appropriate notice (see Section 2) if a change is (i) necessary and (ii) does not unreasonably disadvantage the customer.

11.2 Mentor Lane informs the customer of any changes to the terms and conditions in text form in the internal area two weeks before they take effect. If the customer does not agree with the changes, they can object to them. The objection can be submitted via email. Mentor Lane informs the customer in the amendment notification about the existence of this right of objection and that the changes will be considered approved if the customer does not object within four weeks of receiving the amendment notification.

11.3 An objection by the customer to the amendment of these terms and conditions shall be considered a termination of the contractual relationship at the end of the respective contract term. In this case, the contractual relationship continues under unchanged conditions until the end of the contract term. In this case, the user account will be deleted immediately, as described in the privacy policy.

11.4 The law of the Federal Republic of Germany shall apply to contracts between Mentor Lane and the customers, excluding the UN Sales Convention. For consumers, this choice of law applies only to the extent that the granted protection is not removed by mandatory provisions of the law of the state in which the consumer has their habitual residence.

11.5 If the customer is a merchant, a legal entity under public law, or a special fund under public law, the place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising from contractual relationships between the customer and Mentor Lane shall be the registered office of Mentor Lane.

11.6 The contract remains binding in its other parts even if individual points are legally ineffective. In place of the ineffective points, the statutory provisions shall apply, to the extent available. Insofar as this would constitute an unreasonable hardship for one of the contracting parties, the contract will, however, be entirely void. Here, the content that will be used within the module can be created.

11.7 The EU Commission provides an online platform for dispute resolution at the following link:
https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/main/index.cfm?event=main.home2.show&lng=DE