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Apple Raises iPhone Price In Germany To Benefit Musicians

Apple has agreed to raise the prices in Germany for hand-held devices including iPhones and iPads in a landmark deal that will benefit those in the creative industry including musicians, actors – even pornographic filmmakers. 

The deal comes as a result of a new copyright levy, in which Apple, Samsung and other similar tech giants agreed to pay approximately EUR 5-7 (roughly $5.50 – $7.70) for each device imported into Germany. It will allegedly apply for all devices sold after 2008 and tablets after 2012.

The levy works to subsidise the creative industry for the devices that contribute to the industry of copying material for free. Ideally, these companies want to move away from fixed surcharges as subscriptions services such as Spotify gain traction, but ultimately as long as there’s devices such as smartphones, free sharing will likely always occur. 

These types of laws are not new to Germany though, with the Government tacking on an additional surcharge when you buy blank CDs to account for the private copies people will presumably making of entertainment material. 

While this might not be the solution to the seemingly unending problems of streaming and piracy facing the music and film industry (and porn apparently), it provides a much needed boost, in Germany at least.