Consumer electronics companies such as Apple, Siemens, Nokia and Sony could save hundreds of millions of euros every year under plans by the European Commission to slash the copyright levies on products ranging from iPods to DVD players and mobile phones.

The levies were introduced in the 1960s to compensate artists for the fact that consumers used photo copiers and cassette recorders to make private copies of books, and records. They have to be paid by companies producing or distributing equipment that allows content to be copied.