The French may well pay a few euros more for their refurbished smartphones. The National Assembly adopted early Thursday evening a compromise on the application of a royalty intended to finance artists, the subject of a lively controversy between worlds of culture and industry. This compromise provides that these second-hand telephones will be subject to this “remuneration for private copying” (RCP), but at a “specific and differentiated” rate - taking into account in particular their age compared to new ones - and that companies in the sector social and solidarity will be exempt. These second-hand devices had been exempted from royalty at first reading in the Senate.
Concretely, the government obtained the vote of its amendment which imposes a discount of 35% for tablets and 40% for second-hand smartphones.
The amount of the fee will also depend on the storage capacity of the device.
For example, a refurbished smartphone with 64GB of storage could see its price increase by 8.40 euros.
Another amendment carried by MP Aurore Bergé and several elected members of the majority, for its part, confirms the fact that the fee scales cannot be changed before December 31, 2022.
The cultural world denounces the measure
Amendments to this effect, tabled by the government and by members of the majority, were adopted during the examination at first reading by the deputies of a bill of senatorial origin aimed at reconciling digital development and protection. of the environment.
The Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, welcomed a “win-win solution” for artists and the economic sector.
I welcome the adoption by the deputies of the compromise proposed by the Government, which maintains fair remuneration for creators, while preserving the development of the social and solidarity economy.
@cedric_o # private copy #VivreLaCulture pic.twitter.com/ypONuaC1tj
- Roselyne Bachelot (@R_Bachelot) June 10, 2021
The prospect of exempting refurbished cell phones from this royalty had caused an outcry in the cultural world, which saw it as a breach in an important system of support for artists. Conversely, the companies in the sector wanted this exemption, believing that this fee, if it were perpetuated in the law, could destroy the dynamism of this sector, which is a strong creator of jobs, in particular of solidarity. The bill includes many measures aimed in particular at supporting the recycling and reuse of digital devices (smartphones, computers, tablets, etc.) to reduce their impact on the environment.
