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Canadian Copyright Board Quadruples Levies on Blank Media

Posted by michael on from the taxation-without-representation dept.

agallagh42 writes: "Computer World Canada has a piece on increased levies for blank media. Basically, the levy was increased from 5.2 cents to 21 cents (canadian) on CD-R and CD-RW media. They seem to be using the "presumed guilty" idea, and punishing everyone who uses this technology for whatever purpose, legal or otherwise. Does this mean that, since I'm already paying the music industry for my potential pirating, that I can feel free to pirate all I want?"

12 of 33 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Those levy values aren't quite right by Stormie · · Score: 2

    According to the signs posted in Future Shop, as of January 1st, the levy on CD-RWs went from 5.2 to 21 cents each. The levy on CD-Rs went from 61 to 77 cents each, which is over half of the cost of most CD-Rs available.

    The signs are wrong, I guess. According to the article, the levy on CD-Rs and CD-RWs goes from 5.2c to 21c, the levy on CD-R-Audio and CD-RW-Audio (ie, the ones that can be used in crippled "CD recorder" stereos) went from 60.8c to 77c. Same with MiniDiscs. So media that is "meant" for recording music gets hit a lot harder than media that "might" be used innocently. Feh.

  2. *IMPORTANT NOTE TO CANADIANS* by mindstrm · · Score: 2

    You are still, if I recall correctly, permitted to personally import blank media for personal use.

    This levy only applies to manufacturers and those importing for resale. It is not a customs 'duty' and is not a 'tax'.

    You can still order a shipment of CD's from the US, and pay normal prices for them.

  3. Re:Twenty-one cents by Stephen · · Score: 2
    "Besides, if they're worried about losses due to napster, they should tax big hard drives and MP3 players."
    Ssh, don't give them ideas!
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    11.00100100001111110110101010001000100001011010001 1000010001101001100010011
  4. Yay.. 50% inflation. by billcopc · · Score: 2

    The stupid part about this is that the price of blank media jumps 50% because of this. Yep, I pay 40c per blank disc, add 21c for the levy and that's up to 61c per disc. It's nice to know that the levy money is going to the same crooks who are pushing pathetic artists by the truckload. I don't even turn on the radio in my car anymore because I'm tired of the crap they play. At least when I pay income taxes and whatnot, I know my money's being used (in part) for the benefit of the population (which includes myself). In the case of this levy, the only people benefitting from it are the already-rich crooks who run the whole whoring entertainment business. Democracy for money, that's what it is.

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    -Billco, Fnarg.com
  5. The tax on media is a non-issue in the big picture by labradort · · Score: 2

    The cost of these media has fallen so steeply in the last 3 years that the price of a few cents per CD is not significant. A couple of years ago I often paid over $23 for a box of 10 brand name CDs with jewel cases. Now that same brand box is about $12, even with the tax increase. Just how many CDs is anyone producing for their own use? If you are producing volumes of them then that is a business you are running, and this is a small cost compared to everything else involved.

    There are more significant things to be concerned about than this. It is just a hot issue for the right wing types who are always sensitive over any perceived tax grab. (This is only a minority of people in Canada. We have to be socialist due to climate, just like everyone else at this latitude. We'd rather pay a little more to the government so we don't have to step over frozen bodies on the way to work.)

  6. Shock! Canada publishes definition of blank media by billybob2001 · · Score: 2
    Surprise, it includes printer/copier paper, photographic film, photons, retinas.

    These guys are scared of something. 21c ain't much of a barrier tho'

  7. Re:Canada is looking about as corrupt as the U.S. by RareHeintz · · Score: 2
    It does look like a good plan. Unfortunately, it crashed my browser. Twice. I also (during the little time that I was actually able to surf the site) didn't see any binding guarantee that they would actually send my money to the artists in question, or that they even knew where to send the check.

    It's a good start, but it'll have to be a bit more professional before I'll touch it.

    OK,
    - B
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    http://www.bradheintz.com/
    - updated
  8. You know.. by Stormie · · Score: 3

    ..if they jack up the levy just a little bit more, it'll be bigger than the amount of royalties an artist gets when they sell a legit copy (through a major label) !!

  9. Independent Musicians by Zeke42 · · Score: 3

    Not only does this help the large recording agencies by giving them money stolen from people using cdrs for innocent reasons, it also helps them maintain their power. Any independent musicians trying to promote themselves with self-produced recordings now has to basically pay the record companies for the privelege of trying to compete with them.

  10. Re:Canada is looking about as corrupt as the U.S. by litui · · Score: 3

    As someone once pointed out to me: FairTunes. Looks like a good plan.


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    I send you this message in order to have your advice.
  11. Canada is looking about as corrupt as the U.S. by RareHeintz · · Score: 4
    Seeing as a C$0.21 tax isn't going to keep anyone from pirating music, and since it applies even to legitimate usage of the media being taxed, this doesn't represent copyright or royalty protection at all: This is a simple transfer of wealth from the Canadian taxpayers to content-control corporations, facilitated by a pseudo-democratic government that has apparently sold itself out just as thoroughly as the one in the U.S.

    This brazen pickpocketing is nothing short of obscene, and it's part of a pattern of behavior I can't support anymore; until I'm given a way to pay the artists directly, all of my new music will be pirated. It may be illegal, but when the law is crafted by people who wish to steal from me, why would it make sense for me to follow it?

    OK,
    - B
    --

    --
    http://www.bradheintz.com/
    - updated
    1. Re:Canada is looking about as corrupt as the U.S. by MattGoyer · · Score: 5
      It's a bit strange that it crashed your browser. Email me with your browser specs and we'll look into it.

      I also ... didn't see any binding guarantee that they would actually send my money to the artists in question, or that they even knew where to send the check.

      While we can't offer a binding guarantee (no one can) we do try our hardest to get the money to the artist. Failing that we'll refund your money. So far we've processed 1000 contributions and only one band has rejected payment. Why trust us?

      1. We display all the transactions on our site so both fans and artists alike can check see if a transaction has been made. If the artist sees a transaction on the site but doesn't get a check then they'll know something is amiss.
      2. We've received a substanstial amount of press coverage and if it was known we were cheating artists it would ruin us pretty quickly.
      3. So far we've processed ~$6500. That is barely worth skipping the country with (seeing as our investment into the company has been greater than that).
      4. We display processed cheques on the site.

      In terms of the professionalism. No one is funding dot.coms. We're doing what we can with what we have.

      Matt. (founder of Fairtunes)