Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Canadian CD-R Tariff Proposal Explained

Posted by timothy on from the then-we-add-in-the-x-factor dept.

Kushana writes: "In this story Slashdot reported on an application by the Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC)to increase the tariffs on recordable media (including CD-Rs, DVD-Rs, and cassette tapes) in Canada for 2003-2004. That announcement by the Copyright Board of Canada outlined the new tariffs but did not provide any justification. The Copyright Board has now published a CPCC document (Adobe Acrobat Reader required) that outlines the CPCC's rationale for their proposed increases and new media to be covered." Read below for more details.

"The actual basis of these tariffs is a complex formula that involves (among other things) the percentage of the media sold to consumers, the fee payable to the copyright holders from an average pressed music CD, and the percentage of CD-Rs that end up as coasters. The formula can be found in the document that describes the tariffs for Private Copying 2001-2002 (Adobe Acrobat Reader required).

In the case of CD-Rs, the proposed increase from $0.21/CD-R to $0.59/CD-R is due to an increase in the percentage of CD-Rs bought by consumers (45% to 70% since late 2000), an increase in the percentage of CD-Rs used to copy music (56% to 62% in the same time period), and the advent of 80min CD-Rs that can hold more music. However, there is one more factor.

There is currently a "secondary value" discount on the levy to reflect the fact that copies are worth less than the originals. In the 2001-2002 decision the Board applied a 37.5% discount to that effect. The CPCC now claims that because so few copies are of the whole album (10% by their numbers) the discount should only apply to those."

2 of 28 comments (clear)

  1. Canadian progress by sllort · · Score: 2, Funny

    So now in Canada, I have to pay Britney Spears to record music I play on my own guitar. That's pretty cool if you're an idiot. Or Britney Spears. But I repeat myse..

  2. you're not that far away... by kootch · · Score: 2, Funny

    do what we did in college. take an SUV and a blanket. drive across the border. Load up on spindles of CDR's and such, put the blanket overtop of em, drive back.

    We did the same thing 'cept in reverse in getting Molson XXX across from Montreal.