The motion against Suisa fees for car radios in company vehicles has been written off

The motion ‘Schikanen im Urheberrecht für KMU beseitigen’ (removing copyright harassment of SMEs) is off the table. It was written off on 2 October 2026, ‘weil nicht innert zwei Jahren abschliessend im Rat behandelt’ (because it was not dealt with conclusively in the council within two years).¹

It was submitted by Simone Gianini.² The motion called for sound and film recordings in SMEs to count as use subject to payment only when customers or people from outside the company hear them. Not employees. Not in company vehicles.² Its rationale targets Common Tariff 3a (CT 3a), under which all businesses in principle owe Suisa a fee. According to the Federal Council, the core issue is Suisa's practice of charging for background entertainment when employees can listen to the radio in company cars.²

The Federal Council proposed rejecting the motion on 20 November 2024.² It recalled that back in 2021 it had doubted whether a car radio in a company vehicle is a use relevant under copyright law at all. But that is for a court to decide, not for Parliament through legislation.²

What this means in practice: According to Suisseculture, quoted by the Schweizer Musikzeitung, most businesses, including most SMEs, pay a flat fee of less than CHF 250 a year for background music.³ That money goes to musicians via Suisa and Swissperform.³ The legal question on car radios remains open. The Federal Council has referred it to the courts.²