Snapshot IFA 2012: Technology Trends – Smart TVs

Focusing on new trends of consumer electronic – Smart TVs are obviously conquering the living rooms with new functions and improved display qualities. After the boom of LCD- and plasma-TVs, the CE-industry has improved the existing solutions: 3D without eyeglasses, gesture remote control, high definition for every screen size, internet connection, content storage, etc. Watching TV enters into a new era with smart TVs. Experts believe this will mainly affect consumers’ behaviour with TV-devices. It creates a totally new market to connect with people, to share content and also to combine smart-devices with each other.

What impact these and other technologies have when entering the market and which sales targets must be reached has often been studied even months before new products are launched. But what obligations and requirements manufacturers have to fulfil in that smarter world? What impact will smart-devices have on copyright levies?

Especially Germany has already very high levy claims for these devices, so that manufacturers should be prepared to deal with that topic. But not only in Germany, also in some other countries, levies for TVs are in force and/or claimed. Even without integrated hard disk, TVs will be liable to taxation.