How will the Smart Fund work?
The Smart Fund places a small one-off cost charged to manufacturers or importers, on the sale of electronic devices that allow people to copy creative works (such as smart phones, tablets and laptops). These funds are then pooled together and distributed by existing collective management organisations to creators and performers.
Similar schemes exist in 45 countries, including most European countries, North America and Japan, which generate over £900 million a year for creators and performers. In many of these countries, a significant proportion of this is used to supplement public funding for the arts.
Private copying schemes around the world
Introducing the Smart Fund in the UK could generate up to £300million a year for UK creatives, and provide sustainable funding for the arts at no cost to government or to consumers, and mirror best practice from existing schemes.
The French scheme raises around €290 million a year for creators across disciplines, €75 million of which funds over 15,000 projects across France to support creative education and skills, access to culture and developing new work.
The map below gives details on other schemes around the world.