PC tariffs in Germany still in motion

Regarding the Copyright Levies for PCs in Germany, the industry is split: there are PC tariffs published on 29 April 2010 by the Collecting Society ZPÜ (Zentralstelle für private Überspielungsrechte) – which, however, have been rejected by the industry. The manufacturer association BCH (Bundesverband der Computerhersteller) meanwhile agreed upon their own tariff – which runs out by end of 2010! Thus, the situation remains unclear for both sides, the further process needs to be observed.

The Collecting Society ZPÜ published a new levy system this year without preceding successful negotiations, regarding the varying tariffs of PCs, Laptops, and Netbooks with and without integrated burners. These new tariffs are the basis for the claims of the collecting society, if so, retroactively as of 1 January 2008, for all PCs sold or imported. According to a statement of the Industry Associations, the negotiations are not over yet. A final decision is expected not until the end of this year.

Obligated parties have various options to override the new tariffs. They can disagree with the tariffs, but this may lead to a court case versus the ZPÜ.

Another option was to join BCH. This Industry Association has concluded an agreement with ZPÜ for reduced tariffs for these products, although they are in effect retroactively from 2008 to December 2010.