Copyright crackdown turns on PC manufacturers

PC manufacturer Fujitsu Siemens has been summoned to Germany's court of arbitration with third party rights organisation Wort claiming compensation for potential copyright infringement by users of the company's hardware.

If the case is successful Fujitsu Siemens is likely to have a E30 (£18.60) levy imposed upon the sale of each PC in Germany - a pre-emptive strike against the likelihood that the company's machines will be used for the trade and transfer of copyrighted material such as music and video files. Fujitsu Siemens is the first party to be summoned before the court of arbitration but industry association Bitkom fears this will set a precedent that will create considerable competitive disadvantages for PC manufacturers in Germany as opposed to other European countries. Manufacturers outside Germany will be exempt from similar charges and will therefore gain a competitive advantage in terms of pricing. Barbara Schädler, spokeswoman for Fujitsu Siemens, said: "In the internet age it is out of the question for one country in Europe to have business regulations that are not valid in other countries - ebusiness is global."