ZPÜ (Central Organisation for Private Copying Rights)

ZPÜ (founded in 1963) is the oldest, and economically most important collaboration body among the nine German collecting societies. ZPÜ has the purpose to claim licence fees from hardware and blank media manufacturers and importers.

It is true that copyright actually allows making copies of copyright-protected works without having to obtain permission from the creators. They do, however, receive a financial compensation for this. Private copying remuneration is not directly charged to those making the copies, as this would not be practicable. Instead, there is a remuneration right (by the creators) against all hardware and media storage product manufacturers and importers (e.g. USB sticks, hard disks, mobile phones). Such rights are enforced by ZPÜ which then pays its collections through to its nine associates, who in turn pay it out to its members