[IP] German Mediator Recommends Copyright Levy on Computers

[Dave Farber <dave@farber.net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: "the terminal of Geoff Goodfellow" <geoff@iconia.com>
Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2003 21:25:51 +0100
To: "Dave E-mail Pamphleteer Farber" <farber@cis.upenn.edu>
Subject: German Mediator Recommends Copyright Levy on Computers

German Mediator Recommends
Copyright Levy on Computers

By BRANDON MITCHENER
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

BRUSSELS -- A German Patent Office mediator Tuesday asked personal-computer
makers to pay copyright owners ?12 ($13) for every new PC they sell as
compensation for private digital copying, raising the likelihood of a court
battle over the royalties.

PC industry representatives immediately signaled their intention to
challenge the nonbinding recommendation, which marks the latest chapter in a
year-old fight between hardware manufacturers and collecting societies
representing copyright owners worried by a significant increase in private
copying.

"Fujitsu Siemens and the rest of the industry presumably will reject the
suggestion," and the case will head to court, said Thomas Vinje, a Brussels
lawyer who represents German PC maker Fujitsu Siemens Computers, which is at
the center of the dispute following demands by German reprography rights
society VG Wort. VG Wort wasn't immediately available to comment. Fujitsu
Siemens is a joint venture of Fujitsu Ltd. of Japan and Siemens AG of
Germany.

--snip--

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1044385225838491533,00.html

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