Privatkopieringsersättning : Ett ineffektivt och förlegat system eller ett nödvändigt skydd för rättsinnehavare?

The purpose of this thesis is to provide a thorough understanding of the existence and form of private copying exceptions and private copying levies in Swedish and European Law. The essay also serves to discuss and examine possibilities of changing the Swedish levy system in a way that coincides and is functional with relevant EU legislation, and if such a change would be an improvement for rightsholders, companies and individuals. Private copying levies have been prevalent in copyright law internationally since the eighties and has a close connection with technical developments. In the past, blank cassettes and DVD:s were the height of technical advancement for the consumer, as it allowed individuals to copy and store televised films, programmes and series to watch at their own leisure. Development continued into hard drives in computers and MP3-players with built in storage for songs. Today almost every single person always has a mobile phone with both functions in their pocket. It’s also very common with a constant connection to the internet, allowing individuals access to copyrighted material from several sources, which in some cases also enables the copying of said material. The thesis begins with describing the outlines of relevant copyright law, with a special focus on the international character of copyright law. Thereafter, in order to establish the purposes and main features of private copying exceptions and levies I describe the historical context of the current legislation, following up with a thorough investigation of the current private copying exception and levy system in Sweden. Finally, the thesis concludes with a wider look on other systems in Europe, and a discussion regarding whether a new levy system inspired by these other systems would be positive or negative for rightsholders and individual