On February 27, 2014, the European Parliament (“EP”) adopted a resolution on private copying levies, finding that a copyright levy regime is relevant in the online environment but that licensing models for streaming services (where no copy can be stored on a device) should have preference. The EP calls on the European Commission to assess the impact of the use of cloud computing technology for private recording and storage of works to determine whether a levy regime should also apply to cloud computing services. This article looks at the EP’s approach to harmonising private copying levies in the digital age and looks at some of the recent key developments in the U.K., France, Germany and the Netherlands.
