Private Reproduction-Article 18

Article 18 of Law 2121/1993 includes the provisions for private copying, meaning the without the author’s consent and without remuneration reproduction of a lawfully published work, provided that this reproduction is intended for the user’s own private use. The term ‘private use’ shall not include a use made by an enterprise, a service or an organization. It is noted that the right to make a reproduction for private use shall not apply in cases where such an act conflicts with the normal exploitation of the work, or where the authors’ legitimate interests are prejudiced.

In the same article, it is provided for creators, producers and other rightholders an equitable remuneration from the manufacturers or importers of technical means (e.g. devices, storing media, etc) suitable for the reproduction of sound or images or sound and images. This remuneration is widely known as “blank tape levy”.

Article 18 par. 11 of Law 2121/1993, as amended, with Art. 37 (1) of Law 4540/2018, stipulates that Collective Management Organizations provide for an effective restitution procedure to the enterprise and/or professional of the equitable remuneration/fair compensation paid to them for the technical mediums provided for in Art. 18 para 3 of this law. Details of the procedure can be found here.