In many countries worldwide, collecting societies are focusing on copyright levies for mobile phones and smartphones with a own category. Alternatively, because of their functions and their increasing storage capacities, they are often categorised as multimedia devices. Smart phones are already levied in many EU-countries like e. g. Belgium, France, Hungary, Lithuania and the Netherlands.

According to a profound analysis on copyright levy obligations for smartphones around EU- and non-EU-countries, the levy-situation for smartphones is most diverse. In Germany for example, levies for smartphones are currently under negotiation and the claims go up to 36.00 € per device.

Even more attention should be devoted to those countries where smartphones are not specifically mentioned in product definitions, but often assumed by collecting societies under an already existing tariff like: “MP3-player tariff” or “multimedia devices with MP3-function”. In a lot of cases, the situation remains undefined, and companies are in need of analysis and evaluation of their copyright levy obligations.