<div><strong>The future of the handpan depends on us</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>For more than five years, a small group of makers and players has carried a heavy legal battle — not for profit, but for something much larger:
</div>
<div>the <strong>freedom for everyone to build, play, and share handpans.</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Now, we’ve reached a turning point.
</div>
<div>Without support from the global community, this fight cannot continue.
</div>
<div>Your donation today will help keep the handpan alive — as an instrument of peace, connection, and creativity for generations to come.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>-&gt; Please donate, share this page, and stand with us.</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
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</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Why your support matters</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>What’s happening in court right now will affect every player, maker, and listener around the world.
</div>
<div>In 2020, the Swiss company <strong>PANArt </strong>— creator of the original <strong>Hang®</strong> — claimed that the Hang was not a musical instrument, but a work of art protected by copyright.
</div>
<div>They argued that four basic design elements of almost every handpan belonged exclusively to them:
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>1. The <strong>lens-shaped body</strong>
</div>
<div>2. The <strong>central dome</strong> (the <em>Ding</em>)
</div>
<div>3. The <strong>port on the underside</strong> (the <em>Gu</em>)
</div>
<div>4. The <strong>tone fields arranged in a circle</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>If these claims were accepted, nearly every handpan ever made could be declared an infringement.
</div>
<div>This would end the freedom of makers and threaten the very existence of the instrument as we know it.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Since 2020, handpan builders and artists have faced lawsuits, seized instruments, police raids, and overwhelming legal costs.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>To defend the entire community, we came together as <strong>Handpan Community United (HCU)</strong> — joining forces with international law firms to stand up for everyone’s right to build and play freely.
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</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Where we stand today</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>In 2024, the <strong>Commercial Court of Bern</strong> ruled that the Hang® qualifies as a “work of art.”
</div>
<div>This was only the <em>first phase</em> of the proceedings — and it is <em>not final.</em>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The next phase, now underway, will determine whether handpans actually infringe on that copyright and whether they can continue to be made and sold.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>This process will take years, and the costs have already exceeded <strong>€1.1 million.</strong>
</div>
<div>The parties involved fight for the survival of the handpan and for the whole community but can no longer bear this financial burden.
</div>
<div>Without community support, the defense will not survive.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>For everyone who wants to know more information, we are documenting all important steps and the whole history of the case, please visit hcu.global to find all resources.
</div>
<div><br />
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</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>What’s at stake</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>This case is not about one company or one design.
</div>
<div>It’s about the freedom of creation.
</div>
<div>It’s about every maker who crafts instruments with love.
</div>
<div>It’s about every musician who shares their sound with the world.
</div>
<div>And it’s about every listener who has ever felt the peace, joy, and wonder of the handpan.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>As long as we stand united — and as long as we have the resources to continue — the handpan will remain free.
</div>
<div><br />
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</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>How you can help</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>1. <strong>Donate what you can</strong>.
</div>
<div>Every contribution — large or small — helps pay for ongoing legal fees and ensures our defense continues.
</div>
<div>2. <strong>Share this campaign.</strong>
</div>
<div>Post it, talk about it, tell your friends and followers. The more people who know, the stronger we become.
</div>
<div>3. S<strong>pread the love for the handpan.</strong>
</div>
<div>Play, record, connect — remind the world what this instrument stands for: peace, creativity, and unity.
</div>
<div><br />
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</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Together, we can protect the future of the handpan.</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Your support today helps ensure that this sound — born from freedom and shared love — continues to resonate around the world.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Direct donations and Donation receipts</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Please check <a href="https://hcu.global/crowdfunding" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://hcu.global/crowdfunding/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://hcu.global/crowdfunding/</a></a> for bank details for a direct donation to our IBAN bank account and find instructions of how to get an official donation receipt for donations exceeding € 1.000
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>-&gt; [Donate now and share this message]</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>

Ulrike kaiser

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The handpan may become ILLEGAL - How can YOU stop that?

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Desktop users

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Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

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UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

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Custom users

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Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

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Team EGG - IP Address list

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Android v10.6.0 and above

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Localized Currency

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Survicate

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PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

The handpan may become ILLEGAL - How can YOU stop that?

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