Investigation of the Private Copy Compensation completed. Proposed to be administered by a new authority in the future.

The investigation into the so-called Private Copy Compensation that started in 2020 is now complete. It is about the compensation that electronics retailers or manufacturers have to pay for certain gadgets they sell to store copied music, a fee that in the end usually ends up with us consumers. The provisions for private copying compensation are regulated in copyright and were decided long before today’s modern gadgets saw the light of day.

At present, most gadgets that can store music, such as mobile phones, computers and other things, are multifunctional and have much more storage space than when the provisions on private copying compensation were introduced. This has led to disputes regarding how large the private copying compensation should be for different product categories, as well as whether certain gadgets should even be covered by private copying compensation.

According to the report from the new inquiry, it is proposed that the compensation levels and which items are to be considered subject to a private copying fee should be transferred to the state by establishing a new authority. The report states:

“The Inquiry proposes that no compensation levels be specified in law. Instead, it is proposed that a new authority be established which, taking into account certain conditions specified in law, in a regulation every two years shall specify which devices shall entail compensation obligation and the compensation levels for In this way, a system can be created that allows the private copying compensation to be adapted based on current private copying behavior and the technical, economic and legal developments in the field, which reduces the risk of contradictions and discussions between market participants. “

Whether the government considers it a good idea to introduce a new authority to regulate the private copying fee remains to be seen. Pernilla Enebrink, CEO of Elektronikbranschen, thinks that the whole thing seems to be a good proposal and says to PC För Alla:
“Today’s message from the inquiry is welcome. The system is old and has become both outdated and unfair. It is not reasonable for consumers to compensate the rights holders both through fees for streaming services and through their purchases of, for example, mobile phones. It is highly anticipated that a change this. “