Organisation

What does OSE offer?

As long as conflicts of interest exist between business partners over digital assets, escrow services will remain essential. The rise of new technologies continues to drive the creation and use of digital assets, further increasing the demand for escrow solutions.

In this context, ongoing dialogue and the exchange of experience among escrow service providers are becoming increasingly important. OSE plays a key role as both a representative body and a platform for discussion. Its events and professional network help members share knowledge, gain insights, and benefit from one another’s experience.

OSE supports its members by helping to safeguard IT and software investments, promoting the development of standards, and contributing to the creation of a reliable legal framework. Through these efforts—alongside public relations and marketing activities—OSE continues to raise the profile of software escrow services.

Datensicherheit Escrow

Association goals

The purpose of the association is to comprehensively promote software escrow (i.e. the deposit of source code), with a focus on representing the interests of both users and providers of escrow services, as well as consulting firms working in this area.

Our core goals are:

Aufklärung

Clarification

To educate stakeholders about protecting software and IT investments as a key component of a healthy, functioning economy.
Marketing

Marketing

To represent members’ interests and raise awareness of software escrow through presentations, PR efforts, and marketing partnerships.

Standards

Standards

To develop industry-wide standards that ensure consistently high-quality escrow services among member companies.

Sicherheit

Legal security

To promote the development of an appropriate legal framework and help establish legal certainty in the field.

The Board of Directors

The Board of OSE currently consists of four elected members:

Stephan Peters

Stephan Peters

Deposix Software Escrow GmbH

stephan.peters(at)ose-international.org

View CV

 

Christian Kast

Christian R. Kast

Law Firm of Christian Kast

christian.kast(at)ose-international.org

View CV

 

Philipp Süss

Philipp Süss

Reed Smith LLP

philipp.suess(at)ose-international.org

View CV

Christian Weitzel

Christian Weitzel

Partner, HSW Rechtsanwälte

christian.weitzel(at)ose-international.org

View CV

 

Stephan Peters

Stephan Peters

  • Co-founder and Managing Partner, Deposix Software Escrow GmbH (Munich) and Deposix Software Escrow LLC (California)
  • Former VP for Business Development at WebToGo GmbH
  • Consulting experience at Booz Allen & Hamilton, Accenture, and as a freelance IT consultant in South America (e.g., Höchst, Mercedes Benz)

Training & Contact

  • MBA (Master of Business Administration), Columbia Business School, 2001, NY
  • Dipl.-Informatiker (FH), European Business School, 1992, Frankfurt/London/San Diego

Function in the association:

Chairman

Contact details:

stephan.peters(at)deposix.de
+49-89-189-1255-0

Philipp Süss

Dr. Philipp Süss, LL.M.

  • Partner at Reed Smith LLP (Munich), member of the firm’s Entertainment & Media Industry Group
  • Over 20 years of experience in IT, cloud, AI, IoT, e-commerce, data protection, and cross-border commercial law
  • Clients include global tech corporations, SMEs, startups, and incubators
  • Also active in aviation law and international arbitration
  • Member of Reed Smith’s Russia and Israel business teams
  • Frequent speaker at industry conferences

Training & Contact

Dr. jur., Universität Bonn, 1998
Master of Laws Degree (LL.M.), King’s College London, 1997
Law faculties of the Universities of Bonn and Marburg

Function in the association:

Deputy Chairman

Contact details:

psuess(at)reedsmith.com
+49 (0)89 20304 151

Christian Kast

Christian Kast

  • Specialist IT lawyer at Anwaltscontor Munich (since 1996)
  • Former Associate at Noerr (Berlin)
  • Regional Representative for Bavaria, German Bar Association’s IT Law Section (davit)

Training & Contact

  • Legal clerkship and 2nd state examination in Munich
  • Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Function in the association:

Member of the Executive Board

Contact details:

kast(at)anwaltscontor.de
+49-89-189-3537-10

Christian Weitzel

Christian Weitzel

Partner at HSW Rechtsanwälte
Specialist in IT and corporate law

  • Holds degrees in both law and computer science
  • 10 years of in-house experience with an international tech company
  • Also serves as a supervisory board member and managing director

Training & Contact

  • Studied computer science at the University of Hagen (1986 – 1990)
  • Studied law at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, worked as a lecturer and gained a doctorate (1985 – 1997)
  • Lawyer at Blume, Issleib and Rack in Frankfurt (1997 – 1998)
  • Various positions at the international technology group Giesecke+Devrient in Munich (1998 – 2009)
  • Lawyer and partner as well as head of the IT law practice group at the Munich office of Büsing, Müffelmann & Theye (2009 – 2020)
  • Lawyer at HARDER Rechtsanwälte (2020 – 2022)
  • Founding partner of the law firm HSW Rechtsanwälte (since 2022)

Function in the association:
Member of the board

Contact details:

HSW Rechtsanwälte
Maximilianstraße 38
D-80539 München

weitzel(at)hsw.law
+49 (0)89 2870070

Imprint

More information

9

OSE Summer Talk

Annual summer event held in Berlin.

9

OSE Symposium

Annual event each January in Munich.

9

Software Escrow

Learn more about what escrow means.

Mehr erfahren

Five Reasons to Join OSE

OSE membership offers real value:

  • Escrow solutions protect and secure your investments.
  • They build trust between partners.
  • They support quality assurance in digital services.

OSE helps members by:

  1. Developing and promoting escrow standards.
  2. Shaping the legal landscape around software escrow.
  3. Improving the quality of escrow solutions.
  4. Providing guidance for advisors on how to present and apply escrow in practice.
  5. Offering insights on the best timing to introduce escrow in contract negotiations.

Membership Categories & Fees

(per calendar year)

Apply for Membership

To become a member of Organisation pro Software Escrow e.V., please complete the application form and email it to:
info(at)ose-international.org

Get in touch with us

Organisation pro Software Escrow e.V.

Innere Wiener Straße 11a, 81667 München

+49 176 44 20 59 58‬

info(at)ose-international.org

Kontakt OSE