MOSCOW, September 8 (RAPSI) – Hewlett-Packard A.O., a subsidiary of the Hewlett-Packard Company, has filed an appeal against a court ruling to recover over 110 million rubles (about $1.9 million) in favor of the Russian Union of Right-holders, the Intellectual Property Court’s ruling (IP court) reads on Friday.

On December 15, 2016, the Moscow City Court held that the lack of report on goods import and failure to make payment serve as evidence of the company’s failure to meet its obligations. According to the court, Hewlett-Packard A.O. has to reimburse the union based on evidence obtained from the Federal Customs Service, including a period preceding the contract.

On June 8, the ruling was upheld by a court of appeals.

The union was authorized in September 2010 to collect and distribute remuneration for the authors, performers and phonogram producers and audiovisual products for free reproduction of phonograms and audiovisual products for private purposes within the territory of the Russian Federation. It is empowered to collect a one-percent commission from CD and recording equipment producers. Subject to the commission are the sales of DVD-players, PCs and laptops, mobile phones and accessories, video cameras, compact discs, flash memory cards and cinefilm.

The union collects the fee every quarter and distribute the collected funds between authors, artists and audiovisual work producers pursuant to its charter, but not less than once a year. Meanwhile, the Union will be obliged to report to the federal copyright protection watchdog on the equipment and media producers and collected funds.

Earlier, courts ruled to recover 88.3 million rubles (about $1.5 million) from Panasonic and 62.6 million rubles (about $1 million) from Dell.