Snapshot IFA 2012: Tablet Rise Continues

IFA 2012 in Berlin, the World’s leading trade show for Consumer Electronics and Home Appliances strongly confirmed the increasing popularity of the tablet device: Even several of those suppliers who  do not even offer PCs on the market presented their own tablet device and/or e-reader. Meanwhile, almost every supplier of the consumer electronics industry has established such a device in its product range. This may be due to the fact that tablets are becoming popular for business applications as well as for private end-customers.

The global market for tablets and e.g. e-readers is growing continuously and leads to high revenues. Therefore, expectations rise from different sides: Based on the higher sales volumes, collecting societies put their focus more and more on tablet PCs in order to cover products with new technologies with copyright levies. The question, however, in which product categories these new devices fall and which tariff is appropriate still waits for an answer.

There are only few countries which have defined a tariff for tablets. But many more are in negotiations at the moment whether tablets can be added to an already existing product category. In addition, technical issues are discussed, e.g. on which characteristics the tariff shall be based and how further technical developments and improvements will be handled.

The tablet PC is a very good proof to show how technologies develop faster than tariffs can. This situation causes uncertainties in the market and requires intensive negotiation between collecting societies and industry. Therefore, K&L recommends that companies concerned monitor the developments precisely in order to gain legal certainty and to set up financial plans.