The collecting societies in the Central Organisation for Private Copying Rights (ZP?) have reached a mutual agreement with the Recording Media Information Group (IM Informationskreis AufnahmeMedien) on the payment of royalties for DVDs belonging to the systems of DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW and DVD-RAM Disc with a nominal capacity of 4.7 GB. The capacity of 4.7 GB is equivalent to a video recording time of 120 minutes.

The amount set out in the Annex to Sec. 54 d of the German Copyright Act (UrhG) as equitable remuneration for the above DVD products in settlement of all royalty claims under Sec. 54 UrhG is 0.087 EUR per hour of playing time, i.e. EUR 0.174 per disc.

To meet the royalty claims under Sec. 54 UrhG for Data-CD-Rs/RWs (recordable CD discs), the agreement in force since 2000 has been extended. Under this agreement, information must be provided about the total quantity of Data-CD-Rs and Data-CD-RWs sold or otherwise put into circulation in Germany and a remuneration of 30 % be paid as provided by Sec. 54 UrhG. With effect from 1st January 2003, the remuneration amounts to EUR 0.072 per hour of playing time.

As part of the policy of equal treatment, ZP? will from 1st January 2003 onwards also apply the above rules and royalty rates to all companies known to it now and in the future, which do not belong to the IM Recording Media Information Group, and will publish the rates in the Federal Gazette.