Australian Court Doubles CD Importers' Fines

anti-fsck writes "Australia's Full Federal Court today upheld a lower court's decision that music labels Warner Music and Universal Music had engaged in anti-competitive practices in the .au CD market by threatening retailers who imported cheaper CDs. The court also doubled the labels' fine - and the fines for senior label executives - to more than $A2 million. w00, cheap CDs at last? Now if we can only get US-zoned DVDs legalised as well ..." Another reader notes that the U.S. government is busy trying to get Australia to change its laws to increase the profits of U.S. record companies.

Comments

Re:What business is it of theirs

[Anonymous Coward]

Americans only like free markets and capitalism when it works in their favor. When it doesn't, they enjoy getting their government meddling with tolls and taxes and what not.

They still have steel-tolls, right?

They're not capitalist, they're as socialist as the rest of us (in Europe) -- it's just that they're either too stupid to see it, or in denial.

U.S. only Country Not beating back the U.S.

[gabrieltss]

Is it me or is the U.S. the ONLY country not "Beating Back" the abusiveness of it's own corporations and government. (This should get me tag as a terrorist by saying this, in a country were supposedly we have a 1st amendment right to freedom of speech!).

Yes I do live in the U.S., yes I do think it is corrupt from the top levels of our goverment down to the corporations.

It seems just about every other country in the world is smacking the U.S. corporations that are trying to screw everyone, but for some strange reason WE CAN'T!

Look what kind of crap we are having to fight:

1) SCO - 'nuff said!
2) MPAA/RIAA - take away our rights to fair use, and to mayn other things to list.
3) Our Goverment - Took away our 4th amendment with the Patiriot act and allow law enforcement agencies free reign in what they do. All in the name of "terrorism".

What they don't want you to know is that our damn goverment KNEW about 911 on August 20th. THe Israil (sp?) Massad warned our governemt about a terrorist threat and of massive amounts of terrorists (about 200 I belive) comming into this country. There was even an article about it in the Jeruselum Post's website not long after 911. (Any of our Israli brothers want to confirm this?)
That's right your own government let it happen, why you say??? Think about what they have been able to do with that "terrorist threat" that they are using to try and scare us with. The patriot act, now talk of the patriot act II. Patriot Act - that is a damn slap in the face to the TRUE patriots that gave their lives for this country to be what it is today! I being former military am ASHAMED of our government right now!

Myth of the Free Market

[vergil]

I've always found it intriguing how actions on behalf of the US Trade Representative against parallel importation (a.k.a. "the gray market") flies in the face of the current U.S. administration's professed loyalty to the merits of a global "free market."

In my opinion, a thriving gray market -- where consumers seek out cheaper products/services in other districts/countries -- is evidence of a healthy, competitive global economy.

Sincerely,

Vergil