Canada to Raise Tariffs on Recordable Media 849
Joel Ironstone writes: "A new Canadian levy will be introduced in 2003 on all recordable media (pdf). The magnitude of these tariffs is staggering: $1.23 for all CD-RW's, $2.27 on all DVD-R's, and get this: $21 for each gigabyte of storage on portable MP3 players. That's an extra 160 dollars for a Nomad." Like in the U.S., this tax is collected and given directly to the record industry, a governmental subsidy for no apparent societal benefit.
I see a market in smuggling MP3 players. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Does it mean we can pirate legally (Score:2, Interesting)
But this sort of substantial tax could be the beginning of a positive development by making it clear that consumers have the *right* to make copies, share with their friends, and use digital copies of the works of others as they see fit in their own creative endevours. After all, the consumer will already have paid a substantial amount of money earmarked to reward the professional content creators in the first place.
The real question is whether the citizen will have any direct say in deciding how the pool of media tax revenue will be distributed among various professional content creators. If there is no system of direct voting or the like put into place, it means that they will have to rely on their indirect representation through parliament --- or more likely, their doubly indirect representation through government appointees on the appropriate content councils.
what recordable media is suitable for? (Score:2, Interesting)
So...
I can't find the answer. I hope Canadian government does. BTW, notebooks are also quite good mp3 players, and they've got HUGE hard drives. As well I can mention mp3 workstations or... mp3 servers with terabyte raid arrays.
Confused (Score:2, Interesting)
Do I owe someone money ???
Re:It Hasn't Been Decided Yet (Score:1, Interesting)
If you read the PDF, you will see that it has been decided that a tax/levy WILL be applied. The only question at issue now is how much the tax will be.
I did find the last item in the document interesting:
"(5) The Copyright Act exempts from the levy recording media that are sold to a society, association or corporation that represents persons with perceptual disabilities."
"Perceptual disabilities" has a nice, broad ring to it. If you wear glasses, you have a perceptual disability. Or if you're colour blind. Or wear a hearing aid. If you just have bad taste. Hell, if you secretly believe you're Superman you obviously have a disability in perceiving reality. There's some potential there to exploit if enough of us jump on it.
Re:Does it mean we can pirate legally (Score:2, Interesting)
Courtney Love had a great article on record companies being the pirates [salon.com]
Consumers already have the right to make copies for backups, show to friends and reference from
The real question is why should people be taxed to backup their computer on CD or DVD if they already have that right and have paid for the products?
I want to know why I should have to pay a tax to make a digital copy of my content, why should I pay to record music I bought or video I produced?
Who gets how much is decided how? (Score:2, Interesting)
Hans Reiser
Re:One interesting thing about who gets the money. (Score:3, Interesting)
Hehehe... you mean you don't trust the record labels to distribute this new source of income derived from the work of artists back to the actual artists!!! shame on you!
Re:It already is (Score:3, Interesting)
Don't laugh (Score:5, Interesting)
the license terms for Adobe ebooks quite precisely:
No printing is permitted on this book.
This book cannot be given to someone else.
This book cannot be read aloud.
These are actual terms in the license for the ebook version
of 'Alice in Wonderland'. This is even more strange because
the original text is by now in the public domain.
You can get a free, legal copy at Project Gutenberg [promo.net].
It has even been suggested that the text of the ebook version was
actually taken from the Gutenberg archives.
Here's an article [thestandard.com] that a quick search retrieved.
A tarif on media is NOT legit (Score:5, Interesting)
tarrif on media may be legit
Oh no it 'aint!
I use CD's solely to make HD backups and blank casstte tapes solely to record myself playing the gutair!
Or are we now suddenly all guilty of piracy and have to prove our inocence?
blank media might be more lucrative. (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Some context is necessary (Score:2, Interesting)
These artists may be on their own (non-RIAA) label.
Why am I paying the RIAA for the right to record mp3s of a band that isn't even covered by any RIAA recording company contracts?
How can I ensure that the RIAA is giving a band that they don't represent, a share of these monies?
How do they meter this?
Clearly this is a complete scam, since more than RIAA-controlled music can be legally ripped and re-distributed from bands.
Something else that I find humourous is that one of the leading bands that originally supported the RIAA, Metallica, used to give away audio tapes of their concerts at shows and told their audiences to record them, give them to their friends, and hand them to everyone. It's amazing how the tables turned when they saw the RIAA siphoning so much of their own income off and blaming it on mp3 trading.
Look at the loophole! (Score:3, Interesting)
If the thing already has sound on it when it crosses the border into Canada, no tarrif can be levied. The user may then choose to keep or erase the "beep" that came with it.
(Standard IANAL disclaimer applies)
Hack for mp-3 players (Score:3, Interesting)
There's always a way around the draconian measures these idiots come up with. I'm already a criminal, (speeding, jaywalking, ripping tags off mattresses, driving after having a beer with dinner, taping NFL broadcasts without express written permission, etc.) what's one more illegal act?
Easy work around (Score:2, Interesting)