FAQs

What is Private Copying Levy?

Private Copying is an exemption to the general copyright. By principle, the law provides the authors of creative work the right to exclusively control the use of their works. It means that in theory every time that somebody wants to use a work they would need the approval from the author.

Sounds unrealistic, right? So the exception of private copying was introduced to copyright — shortly, it means that it is OK if you save the music, films, etc. you have bought to multiple devices for personal use. In effect, you will therefore buy only one copy and use it across your devices, resulting in decreased sales for the artists and creators.

This is the reason why many EU countries including France have implemented a remuneration system to cover the losses of the creators — Private Copying Levy.

Who has to pay the Private Copying Levy?

Manufacturers and importers of specific products in France must pay the private copying levy. It applies both to brand new and refurbished devices.

The list of the products include smartphones, tablets, external hard drives etc. So, simply put, if your business is based outside of France and you sell directly to consumers, you have to pay the Private Copying Levy.

This does not apply when you're selling to other businesses. The full list of the media subject to the Private Copying levy in France can be found here.

What are the Private Copying Levy Tariffs for refurbished devices in France?

Smartphones & mobiles

• Over 2GB up to 8GB — 2.4€

• Over 8GB up to 16GB — 4.8€

• Over 16GB up to 32GB — 6€

• Over 32GB up to 64GB — 7.2€

• Over 64GB — 8.4€

Media and PC Tablets

• Up to 16GB — 5.2€

• Over 16GB up to 32GB — 6.5€

• Over 32GB up to 64GB — 7.8€

• Over 64GB — 9.1€

These are the special tariffs for reconditioned devices applicable as of July 1st 2021. As the refurbishing industry was denied an exemption to be excluded from paying the Private Copying Levy special discounts on the levy were offered as a compromise by French lawmaker — 40% for refurbished mobiles and 35% for the refurbished tablets. The full list of product categories and regular tariffs can be found here.

Who collects the Private Copying Levy in France?

The organisation responsible for collecting Private Copying Levy in France is Copie France. As a seller are responsible for declaring your sales on the monthly basis using the monthly declaration form provided by Copie France. Please note that before you can start reporting you must first register as a member of Copie France, please find the detailed information here.

Once you have registered, we are ready to help you out with the monthly reporting — get started here.
If you prefer filling the monthly declaration form on your own, you can download the template here.