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Australian Gov't Lobbied To Implement Media Levies

Posted by timothy on from the back-scratching-time dept.

TheScream writes "Screenrights has been activly promoting its proposal for a CD-R DVD-R levy (similar to that implemented in Canada, as previous reported on /.) with a 5 minute interview on popular Australian breakfast television show Today. News.com.au reports that Screenrights and APRA "...want a recording levy of between 3 per cent and 10 per cent..." and includes highly debateable mis-truths such as "Every kid does it, so let's facilitate some standards in the marketplace.""

1 of 235 comments (clear)

  1. Could be improved by Pseudonym · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Speaking as ain Australian, I am willing to support the proposal on three conditions:

    1. People who do not infringe copyright get a rebate.
    2. Independent artists get a cut of the levy.
    3. In return, we get the legal right to pirate CDs and DVDs.

    I've never copied a audio CD or DVD in my life. I have made compilation CDs for two schoolteachers based on CDs that they own for educational purposes (I believe this is legal), but I'm willing to try if this becomes law. I promise to make it fair by adding up the levies that I have paid on blank CDs and only pirating CDs worth up to the value of the levy. When I've effectively paid for a CD, I figure I deserve a copy of it.

    What do you think, APRA?

    Incidentally, I'm not quite sure how you calculate what is a fair levy to pay for losses which are, in the admission of the CEO of Screenrights, "incalculable". I'd like to see how they managed to work it out.

    --
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