Case C-110/15: Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 22 September 2016 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Consiglio di Stato — Italy) — Microsoft Mobile Sales International Oy, formerly Nokia Italia SpA and Others v Ministero per i beni e le attività culturali (MIBAC) and Others (Reference for a preliminary ruling — Approximation of laws — Intellectual property — Copyright and related rights — Directive 2001/29/EC — Exclusive right of reproduction — Exceptions and limitations — Article 5(2)(b) — Private copying exception — Fair compensation — Conclusion of agreements governed by private law to determine the criteria for exemption from payment of fair compensation — Request for reimbursement of compensation confined to the final user)
Date: 2016-09-22
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: approximation of laws, audiovisual equipment, copyright, indemnification, national law, reprography








C_2016419EN.01001501.xml










14.11.2016   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 419/15





Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 22 September 2016 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Consiglio di Stato — Italy) — Microsoft Mobile Sales International Oy, formerly Nokia Italia SpA and Others v Ministero per i beni e le attività culturali (MIBAC) and Others
(Case C-110/15) (1)

((Reference for a preliminary ruling - Approximation of laws - Intellectual property - Copyright and related rights - Directive 2001/29/EC - Exclusive right of reproduction - Exceptions and limitations - Article 5(2)(b) - Private copying exception - Fair compensation - Conclusion of agreements governed by private law to determine the criteria for exemption from payment of fair compensation - Request for reimbursement of compensation confined to the final user))
(2016/C 419/18)
Language of the case: Italian

Referring court

Consiglio di Stato

Parties to the main proceedings


Applicants: Microsoft Mobile Sales International Oy, formerly Nokia Italia SpA, Hewlett-Packard Italiana Srl, Telecom Italia SpA, Samsung Electronics Italia SpA, Dell SpA, Fastweb SpA, Sony Mobile Communications Italy SpA, Wind Telecomunicazioni SpA

Defendants: Ministero per i beni e le attività culturali (MIBAC), Società italiana degli autori ed editori (SIAE), Istituto per la tutela dei diritti degli artisti interpreti esecutori (IMAIE), in liquidation, Associazione nazionale industrie cinematografiche audiovisive e multimediali (ANICA), Associazione produttori televisivi (APT)

Interveners: Assotelecomunicazioni (Asstel), Vodafone Omnitel NV, H3G SpA, Movimento Difesa del Cittadino, Assoutenti, Adiconsum, Cittadinanza Attiva, Altroconsumo

Operative part of the judgment

EU law, in particular, Article 5(2)(b) of Directive 2001/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society, must be interpreted as precluding national legislation, such as that at issue in the main proceedings, that, on the one hand, subjects exemption from payment of the private copying levy for producers and importers of devices and media intended for use clearly unrelated to private copying to the conclusion of agreements between an entity which has a legal monopoly on the representation of the interests of authors of works, and those liable to pay compensation, or their trade associations, and, on the other hand, provides that the reimbursement of such a levy, where it has been unduly paid, may be requested only by the final user of those devices and media.


(1)  OJ C 178, 1.6.2015.