The judge ruled that since the company's PCs could be used for copying material -- and doing rights holders out of their due royalties -- Fujitsu-Siemens should make it up to those who are out of pocket by way of a €12-per-machine contribution.
Similar levies are already in place on other media that can be used for copying, including blank videos and audio tapes, in other European countries.
The German copyright holders association VG Wort initially brought the case in 2001 and had been demanding a €30 levy, although it agreed to the court's revised €12 penalty.
VG Wort is expected to bring similar suits against other computer manufacturers in the country.
Fujitsu Siemens did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Talkback
I presume that if a German hasn't pirated anything yet using a particular computer then they're now allowed to pirate €12 of music without experiencing any feelings of guilt or fear of prosecution. What a great way of getting people in to piracy.
What they need now is a tax on manufacturers of kitchen utensils to compensate victims of stabbings.
I want to see taxes on pens and paper. These evil devices, spawned from the very heart of satan, could be used to copy passages out of books, make copies of drawings, their uses are endless. In fact, they should be banned. Ban them right now. They are an insult to our very humanity.
This is utterly ridiculous.
While I feel no great sympathy for huge multinational companies, the end result of this is a cost that's put on the consumer. Rest assured that the price of a Fujistu computer will not just go up in Germany!
Why are British and European laws and police so weak that this is their solution to an escalating IT epidemic? It's embarassing to read, especially when the next story has the Americans jailing a software pirate! Catch the pirates and punish THEM!