German court confirms controversial PC tax

A court confirmed Friday the legality of a controversial levy imposed on sales in Germany of personal computers.

The state superior court in Munich said that a royalties agency, VG Wort, was entitled to collect 12 euros for every computer sold. A computer manufacturer had challenged the levy.

Computer makers and importers have campaigned against the levy, which they say handicaps trade and has no counterpart in most other nations. BITKOM, the German information technology trade group, said the Friday ruling placed an unnecessary burden on the industry.

VG Wort collects copyright fees to remunerate authors for various secondary uses of their books and magazine articles such as lending from public libraries or photocopying for other people to read.

The royalties agency had contended that computers were similar to photocopiers, since they can be used to reprint books. There are already separate levies in Germany on digital scanners.

Fujitsu Siemens Computers, which brought the case against VG Wort, said after the verdict that the government should step in and block the levy by legislation. (dpa)