Switzerland - Agreement reached on blank media levy for smartphones

Zurich, 28 January 2015 – After several years of negotiations, the interest groups for smartphone manufacturers and importers SWICO, DUN and Swissstream, and the consumer organisations and collective management societies SSA, ProLitteris, SWISSPERFORM, SUISSIMAGE and SUISA have agreed a tariff for the use of music and audiovisual works copied onto smartphones for private consumption. Under the new agreement, manufacturers and importers of music-capable mobile phones will pay a levy for the use of music, films and similar digital media stored on their devices. The proceeds will go to the creators of copyright-protected works.

For more information on the tariffs, please click here.

For more information on private copying compensation, see SAA’s infographic.

Dachverband der Urheber- und Nachbarrechtsnutzer (DUN, the association for users of copyright and neighbouring rights), Schweizerische Wirtschaftsverband der Anbieter von Informations-, Kommunikations- und Organisationstechnik (Swico, the Swiss association for information, communications and organization technology) and Schweizerische Verband der Streaming Anbieter (Swissstream, the Swiss association of streaming providers) negotiated on behalf of the smartphone manufacturers and importers. The consumers were represented by Associazione Consumatrici della Svizzera Italiana (ACSI, the consumer association of the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland), Fédération Romande des Consommateurs (FRC, the consumer federation of the French-speaking part of Switzerland), the Konsumentenforum (Kf, consumer forum) and Stiftung für Konsumentenschutz, (SKS, consumer protection foundation). The interests of the authors were represented by the five Swiss collective management societies SSA, ProLitteris, SWISSPERFORM, SUISSIMAGE and SUISA.