updated 20.11.2025 due to PANArt’s public statement entitled “Why are we asserting copyright protection for our Hang?”
Currently, there are increasing reports on social media that the Handpan is in danger and “will become illegal” because the Swiss inventor (PANArt) of the hang, which is undisputedly the model for every handpan, is seeking to have handpans banned in an ongoing legal dispute. The campaign, entitled “The handpan may become ILLEGAL – How can YOU stop that?”, is being led by the so-called HCU , or Handpan Community United which is attempting to raise money through crowdfunding in order to legally enforce the protection of the handpan. When I watch the campaign video and see some of the reposts, I sometimes don’t know whether to laugh or cry. It’s unbelievable how much (unfounded) fear is being spread, how emotions are being played with (see the following video), and how many untruths are being spread.
First of all, let’s address the question “Who is the HCU?” Is it really the united handpan community? The answer to this question is clearly no. The global handpan community now consists of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of handpan enthusiasts. In recent years, the handpan has enjoyed an unprecedented surge in popularity. So if you look at the number of handpan manufacturers legally represented by the HCU and add up the supporters of the crowdfunding campaign (approx. 1700 donations), this represents only a fraction of the actual ‘handpan community’.
While just a few years ago there were only a manageable number of small craft workshops producing handpans, today the handpan supplier market is simply too vast to keep track of. However, this is not because the number of artisan workshops producing hand-made, mostly high-quality handpans has exploded, but because technological advances now allow handpans to be manufactured industrially. Not only in Asia (especially in China) is there a thriving and very profitable handpan industry, but industrial production is also taking place in Europe.
The reason there are so many different brands on the handpan market is because of the widespread OEM business in the scene. An OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) business is a business model in which a company manufactures components or products that are marketed and sold by other companies under their own brand names. A YATAO handpan (and many others !) is one such product. It is industrially produced by a large manufacturer in China and sold under its own brand name. The profit margins are very high with this business model, and the business is extremely lucrative.
As a result, the artisans who handcraft quality handpans with “heart and soul” are usually left behind in the market. ‘Metal Sounds’, one of the pioneers of handpan manufacturers from France, for example, recently closed its business. It employed 12 people. When asked why the business was closed, we learned that they were simply pushed out of the market by cheap mass production. This is something that gives pause for thought. Other small manufacturers are also coming under increasing pressure from the mass market. An unfortunate trend of our time.
It is to be hoped that those interested in handpans will continue to resist the temptations of the mass market and be willing to support artisans and pay a little more for genuine quality work. The price difference is not particularly large at the moment anyway, because resellers of OEM goods and mass-produced products are placing their handpans on the market at exorbitant profit margins.
From what I know of the handpan community, there are many who buy their food at organic markets or directly from farmers, for exactly the right reasons. So why buy a handpan from a mass producer?
To answer the question of whether the handpan is actually in danger, it is important to know who or what the HCU and its lawyers from “Bird and Bird” actually represent in the legal dispute between PANArt and the HCU (actually an international group of a few handpan manufacturers and dealers). The three fairly large dealers Thomann, Hage, and Handpan.World have since left the original group represented by the HCU. The three are now being represented by other lawyers. To me, the strategy employed by the HCU and its lawyers in court (I was personally present at the last hearing in Bern) seems much more like an attempt to protect the industrialization of the handpan than an attempt to protect the handpan as an instrument. This is another reason why many small manufacturers do not support the HCU.
Read also PANArt’s public Statement (20.11.2025) entitled “Why are we asserting copyright protection for our Hang?”
Finally, I would like to quote Matthieu from Shellopan, a small manufacturer and pioneer of handpan makers, who recently published the following statement on Facebook. It is well worth reading:
Should we defend the production of industrial vanillin flavoring in order to save the cultivation of real vanilla? This may sound surprising, but the history of the handpan brings us to this absurd question!.
The handpan is becoming increasingly popular, its history running parallel to the trends that permeate our society. As a deliberately minimalist sound sculpture, created in 2000 by two Swiss craftsmen inspired by the steel pan, it coincided with the emergence of the first social networks on the internet and demand became insatiable. At that time, numerous craftsmen around the world became enthusiastic about its sound and continued to develop its musical possibilities. A community of enthusiasts formed, including aspiring manufacturers, musicians, event organizers, and many enthusiastic players. At that time, the market for this instrument was in the hands of the craftsmen, who all received far more requests than they could produce. A lively exchange of knowledge and tools developed to encourage the emergence of new generations of manufacturers in all regions. The price of the instruments was set on the basis of a direct relationship between manufacturer and player, without intermediaries, which prevented music stores from taking over this market, despite the strong demand they received. Social networks took on an increasingly important role in society, more talented musicians were discovered, and complementary services came onto the market in the form of courses for learning to play and even information products. The production of the handpan was industrialized and standardized, although its similarity to the Hang from PANArt is now being questioned. Craftsmen continued to develop more advanced versions that strayed a little further from the standard with more tones and playing possibilities. The handpan became increasingly popular, and now it was influencers, content creators, and other online business specialists who conquered this market. A Google search for the term “handpan” today shows a picture that is almost a caricature of this entire development, and it is simply no longer possible to find a handmade handpan by following a link on the first page of Google search results… even if you filter out the ads!
The different stages of this story resemble a torch relay, and each hand writes its part of the story in its own way, accompanying or opposing the prevailing currents of our society. PANArt was militant in its day, refusing to grow in order not to distort its art. The artisan makers benefited from the market that PANArt had opened up with the hang, and they were militant in passing on their knowledge to encourage the arrival of new generations of makers. Today, it is musicians and people with high visibility on the internet who are carrying the torch… Some say today that the handpan must be saved, even in its “vanilla basic” version, which is the most industrializable, and call for a fight against the potential copyright of those who inspired our shared passion.
When a musician fights against copyright, it intuitively reminds me of the caricature of the woodcutter sawing off the branch he is sitting on. When a musician calls on his entire community to fight against copyright, it reminds me of a carpenter who doesn’t yet have a roof for his house and is cutting down the best trees in the forest to make pellets!
I use this provocative image to say that there has always been a form of activism associated with the world of handpans, which has undoubtedly contributed to their uniqueness and popularity. Now that we can assume that the torch has been passed on to a new family of players from the world of handpans, it is up to them to find the form of activism that will accompany the best future for this instrument. When I read that the handpan needs to be saved, I can only say that, as a craftsman, I feel much more threatened by the promotion of industrial handpans than by copyright conflicts. I am absolutely confident that I can defend my art and am flexible enough to adapt to all possible legal constraints while continuing to contribute to the development of the handpan.