Unwissenheit schützt vor Strafe nicht. “Ignorance does not protect from punishment.” Germans use the saying in everyday life, and it is also a principle of criminal law. Section 17 of the Criminal Code allows only one exception. A person who did not know that an act was illegal acts without guilt only if the mistake could not be avoided. If there was any doubt, the person had a duty to find out, and in complex matters may be expected to ask a lawyer.