Reprographic levy extended to smartphones and laptops from 13 November 2026
From 13 November 2026, new rules in Poland extend the reprographic levy to smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers. The levy is to be paid by manufacturers and importers, not directly by buyers.
Author: Thames Compass editorial teamPublished: 2 min read
The reprographic levy has been part of Polish law since 1994. It is meant to compensate creators for the permitted copying of their works for private use. Until now it has mainly covered older equipment, such as cassettes, discs and MP3 players.
What is changing
An amendment to the culture minister's regulation brings modern devices within the levy. The list includes, among others, phones with at least 32 GB of internal storage, tablets with at least 32 GB, laptops and desktop computers, TVs and set-top boxes with storage or recording functions, external HDDs and SSDs, memory cards and USB flash drives.
In most cases the rate is 1 per cent of the net price. Higher rates apply to CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs, and to copiers and multifunction devices (2 per cent), as well as to printers (1.5 per cent). The statutory ceiling is 3 per cent of the device's value.
Culture Minister Marta Cienkowska signed the regulation on 30 April 2026. According to Rzeczpospolita, it will take effect six months after publication in the Dziennik Ustaw, Poland's official gazette.
Who pays
Formally, the levy is paid by manufacturers and importers of the devices. The money does not go to the state budget but to collective management organisations that act for creators. Spider's Web notes that companies may pass the cost on to customers, but the article offers no data to confirm this.
The amendment is also contested. According to Rzeczpospolita, a court in a case against a phone manufacturer found that smartphones were already subject to the levy under the copyright law itself. That ruling concerned sales made between 2007 and 2010.
What this means for you
The rules apply to sales on the Polish market and burden manufacturers and importers. The sources I read do not say whether the change will affect prices in the UK or purchases shipped from the UK. People buying equipment in Poland may notice any price changes in shops, but no source gives figures for this.
Sources
This article was prepared automatically by AI from the listed sources and published without prior editorial review. Spotted a mistake? Use the “Report an error in this article” button.
Photos
- Cover: „jars, herbs, shelves, store, shop”, author: Pexels, licence Pixabay Content License; cropped or resized.
- Photo 1: „laptop, coffee, notebook, pen, glasses”, author: freephotocc, licence Pixabay Content License; cropped or resized.
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