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Canadian Music Group Proposes 'Copyright Tax' On Internet Use (torrentfreak.com)

After ongoing discussions and proposals about new taxes and fees to compensate creators for "missed revenue," the Screen Composers Guild of Canada is calling for a copyright tax on all broadband data use above 15 gigabytes per month. TorrentFreak reports: A proposal from the Screen Composers Guild of Canada (SCGC), put forward during last week's Government hearings, suggests to simply add a levy on Internet use above 15 gigabytes per month. The music composers argue that this is warranted because composers miss out on public performance royalties. One of the reasons for this is that online streaming services are not paying as much as terrestrial broadcasters. The composers SCGC represents are not the big music stars. They are the people who write music for TV-shows and other broadcasts. Increasingly these are also shown on streaming services where the compensation is, apparently, much lower.

SCGC's solution to this problem is to make every Canadian pay an extra fee when they use over 15 gigabytes of data per month. This money would then be used to compensate composers and fix the so-called "value gap." As a result, all Internet users who go over the cap will have to pay more. Even those who don't watch any of the programs where the music is used. However, SCGC doesn't see the problem and believes that 15 gigabytes are enough. People who want to avoid paying can still use email and share photos, they argue. Those who go over the cap are likely streaming not properly compensated videos.
SCGC writes: "[W]hen you're downloading and consuming over 15 gigabytes of data a month, you're likely streaming Spotify. You're likely streaming YouTube. You're likely streaming Netflix. So we think because the FANG companies will not give us access to the numbers that they have, we have to apply a broad-based levy. They're forcing us to."

40 of 265 comments (clear)

  1. blank CDRs by marvinglenn · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's the tax on blank CDRs all over again.

    --
    The whores get mad when the sluts give it away for free.
    1. Re:blank CDRs by darkain · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Came here to say the exact same thing. GG Canada. Nobody is buying CD-Rs anymore, so these asshats are trying to find other ways to force money out of people that have nothing to do with the work they're producing.

    2. Re:blank CDRs by Layzej · · Score: 5, Informative

      I agree. Given that Canada has signed on to the US copyright system, there is no need to look for alternative/additional compensation methods. It should be one or the other. According to the new rules, the Log Drivers Waltz will not be public domain until 2072. Crazy.

    3. Re:blank CDRs by barc0001 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And just like the CDR tax, all of us took that as a "license" to pirate anything that moved because hey, we'd already PAID for it.

      Law of unintended consequences, SCGC...

    4. Re:blank CDRs by GuB-42 · · Score: 4, Informative

      In France, the tax on CD-R is on top of the usual VAT. And as the price of the media went down, it became more expensive than the disk itself.
      The funny part is that most pirates (or should I say "private backup copy makers") bought their CDs in illegal shops or imported them in order to avoid paying the tax.

    5. Re:blank CDRs by dryeo · · Score: 4, Interesting

      In Canada, we just switched to DVD-R's, plus the courts ruled that due to the levy, we were free to copy music for personal use.
      Perhaps if this idea goes through, it'll mean being free to download movies.

      --
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_totalitarianism
    6. Re:blank CDRs by GuB-42 · · Score: 2

      The French law affects all forms of storage capable of storing audio and video: CD, DVD, USB drives, smartphones, tapes, memory cards, DVR with built-in storage... It is just that the tax is particularly high, and often evaded on CD-R and DVD-R.

      And it means we are free to copy music we already bought, but not to share it, also, DRM circumvention is still illegal. As you might imagine, this tax is very controversial.

    7. Re:blank CDRs by commodore64_love · · Score: 2

      My downloading from piratebay had dropped to zero, since I was obtaining my entertainment legally from Netflix.com or Slingtv.com........ WHY should I have to pay a "piracy" tax when I'm not pirating anything?

      Stupid.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    8. Re:blank CDRs by commodore64_love · · Score: 4, Informative

      IRONY: The biggest pirate of all is the Music industry itself. Please take a moment to read this old article: "The plaintiffsâ(TM) (musicians) claimed compensation for use of work listed on what are known in the Canadian recording industry as âoepending lists.â These lists, accumulated over many years, contain works for which no licence was obtained and no compensation paid........ â" the action could have been worth up to $6-billion."

      In other words the music industry owed 6 billion dollars to musicians for non-payment of songs they used w/o comprensation. - LINK : https://business.financialpost...

      And the followup: The record industry only paid 50 million of the 6000 million owed to artists:
        https://entertainment.slashdot...

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
  2. Free copying by Vitdom · · Score: 3, Informative

    Taxes on internet data to punish internet users or as an action to permit free copying of content on the internet? Here in Sweden we have to pay taxes on storage medium to compensate creators for "missed revenue" due to piracy, but piracy is not allowed even though you pay this fee.

    1. Re: Free copying by Cassini2 · · Score: 5, Interesting
      The movie industry fought hard against a CD-R style tax on DVD-R's and on internet streaming. Apparently the courts in Canada asked why the music industry was chasing pirates when they already had a tax to deal with piracy.

      The movie industry noticed this decision and did not want the same thing to happen to them.

      Much of the current copyright fee structure had been created by a few very large corporations guarding their profits on a relatively sma number of works, and they don't care about any other concerns, people or artists. It really doesn't surprise me that this proposal is coming from a group of smaller artists. The current system is completely broken for smaller works, orphan works, and near orphan works.

  3. Does Canada's music suck or something? by NewtonsLaw · · Score: 3, Funny

    Isn't Canada the place that put a media tax on CDR/RW disks and such -- because their poor music industry was so hard-done-by?

    My advice to Canadian musicians and singers: take a teaspoon of cement and harden up!

    1. Re: Does Canada's music suck or something? by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 4, Interesting

      How do they divide up the procedes? Per copyright? Per sale in normal media?

      How does a band with 20 songs and 1 hit fare againse music copyright trolls who write "1000 songs", none of which are hits, and they aren't really a recording musician, but are happy to sue a hit song that happens to vaguely sound like one of their planted scatershot?

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    2. Re:Does Canada's music suck or something? by SuricouRaven · · Score: 2

      One of several places.

  4. Find a more appropriate target. by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 4, Interesting

    One of the reasons for this is that online streaming services are not paying as much as terrestrial broadcasters.

    Then get streaming services to pay you more, not Internet users in general.

    As for me, I don't think I've ever used more than 15GB in a month, but if I did, it wouldn't be because I downloaded (or streamed) music or video.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    1. Re:Find a more appropriate target. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If you're using >15GB Pornhub are probably 1st in line, not musicians, Canadian or otherwise.

    2. Re:Find a more appropriate target. by jedidiah · · Score: 2

      > If you're using >15GB Pornhub are probably 1st in line, not musicians, Canadian or otherwise.

      Or you just cut the cord and use Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, and friends.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    3. Re:Find a more appropriate target. by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 4, Insightful

      > If you're using >15GB Pornhub are probably 1st in line, not musicians, Canadian or otherwise.

      Or you just cut the cord and use Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, and friends.

      Ya, I just checked and I actually do use more than 15GB / month -- watching Amazon Prime. If the SCGC thinks Amazon (and, by extension, Netflix) does not properly compensate their member, they should negotiate with (or sue) them, not extort the entire Internet base.

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    4. Re:Find a more appropriate target. by TomBauserman · · Score: 3, Informative

      It's really easy to go way over 15GB if you don't have cable and use Netflix, Amazon Prime. I don't pirate anything, don't use pornhub. Our family used about 700-800 GB a month. We have a 1Tb cap.

    5. Re:Find a more appropriate target. by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 2

      It's really easy to go way over 15GB if you don't have cable and use Netflix, Amazon Prime. ... Our family used about 700-800 GB a month. We have a 1Tb cap.

      Ya, I actually just checked and I have used more than 15GB this month - watching Amazon Prime (binging BSG and Doctor Who). I don't do this every month and, you're right, 15GB isn't actually very much these days. Still, if the SCGC has a problem, they need to negotiate with (or sue) the streaming providers, not extort money from the entire Internet base.

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  5. I have a better idea. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why don't I just stop you on your way to work to your law firm and take some money out of your wallet because I think you should give me money.

    Oh wait, I can't. Because that's called robbery.

  6. They are at it again... by umask077 · · Score: 2

    Fun fact: The music industry sued to try and stop the production of player pianos because they will put the musicians out of work. The musicians cash cow is concert ticket, not album sales.

    Perhaps the music industry should pay for all the free promotion they are getting.

    --
    --- Always remember. 99.36% of all statistics are inaccurate.
  7. Dumb reasoning. by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 4, Insightful

    However, SCGC doesn't see the problem and believes that 15 gigabytes are enough.

    Who died and made you king of anything?

    People who want to avoid paying can still use email and share photos, they argue.

    Which they do using Internet data - ding dongs.

    Those who go over the cap are likely streaming not properly compensated videos.

    [citation needed]

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    1. Re:Dumb reasoning. by Pseudonym · · Score: 2

      Nobody died and made anyone king. Canada already has a queen. But it's also a democracy and as such everyone is allowed to propose dumb ideas.

      Having said that, read the last two sentences again. This looks a hell of a lot like a negotiating tactic to me.

      --
      sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
  8. That's like a third of a video game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Bigger games these days are easily 45GB.

    These backwards, tech illiterate rights organisations can go fuck themselves.

    I say people who demand money for nothing in return are likely abusing their spouses. Have you stopped abusing your spouses Mr. Posner and Mr. Novotny?

  9. Translation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "One of the reasons for this is that online streaming services are not paying as much as terrestrial broadcasters."

    Translation: Ee cut a "shitty deal" on public performance royalties for online streaming so we want more money forced through government taxes!

    "The composers SCGC represents are not the big music stars. They are the people who write music for TV-shows and other broadcasts."

    Translation: We're not one of those big star assholes trying to wring out money, we're one of the small time assholes trying to wring out money!

    "As a result, all Internet users who go over the cap will have to pay more. Even those who don't watch any of the programs where the music is used. However, SCGC doesn't see the problem and believes that 15 gigabytes are enough. People who want to avoid paying can still use email and share photos, they argue. Those who go over the cap are likely streaming not properly compensated videos."

    Translation: Even though our music is so bad you intentionally mute all the stuff you stream, send/receive over 15 gigabytes worth of games with properly compensated music, and avoid us like the plague, we still figure you owe us money because hypothetically you might have for a split second in those 15 gigabytes listened to a few notes of one of ours songs, so give us money!

    Gee, it sounds all so reasonable! While you're at it, why not have the government sue Amazon, Google, Microsoft, etc for all the money you're due? Then have the government suing ISPs because they facilitated all this under payed streaming. And then the consumers for daring to stream music without making sure to double or quintuple pay just to make sure the music creator/owner gets "enough" pay. You'll know you've paid enough when each music owner has bathroom fixtures plated in latinum.

  10. Re: This is complete bullshit by mschuyler · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And it's not all about you, either. The issue is that it is a precedent. If this were to go through, guess who is next up because, you know, the Canadians did it, so we should, too.

    --
    How about a moderation of -1 pedantic.
  11. 15GB, really? by Hamsterdan · · Score: 4, Informative

    Some of us are not using their ridicule low bandwitdh for pirating stuff. 15GB goes by pretty fast when you're using a *legal* streaming service (also known as Netflix & such). Besides, some games go easily over multi-GB downloads, PC or consoles (most recent console is a PS2, I'm more of a PC gamer). What about people streaming from Tou.TV or other channel's streaming services, in a legal way? it's CD-tax all over again because they are stuck in a model that doesn't work anymore... What about people using backblaze or any other cloud service? My DVR has a 3TB drive, and I stream a good percentage of it over my phone while not home, so my legally recorded OTA contents is gonna cost me is I stream more than about an hour and a half of free ATSC? And they're wondering why people are going illegal IPTV...

    --
    I've got better things to do tonight than die.
    1. Re:15GB, really? by dissy · · Score: 2

      Besides, some games go easily over multi-GB downloads, PC or consoles (most recent console is a PS2, I'm more of a PC gamer)

      Some of my Nintendo Switch console game downloads:

      15.6 gb - Zelda, breath of the wild
      14.5 gb - Skyrim
      17.3 gb - SouthPark, the fractured but whole
      21.3 gb - Doom
      12.1 gb - Wasteland 2
      13.7 gb - Wolfenstein 2
      12.8 gb - Hydrule warriors

      One doesn't even need a computer to overshoot 15gb, or nearly so.
      Even Fallout 4 at 37.6 gb from Steam is about 250% of their limit.

  12. Well if they're going to do that... by DrXym · · Score: 4, Insightful
    ... and be compensated then the implication is that piracy should be made legal. Pirate / copy anything you like, since you get billed for it.

    But back in reality it's just a stupid, ill thought out tax. People using Netflix or another streaming service, or downloading games are the ones who'll be hit by this. If I were a Netflix / Amazon / Hulu subscriber and I though I was going to be taxed for using a legal service that I already paid for, I might be strongly inclined to just cut out the middle-man and pirate stuff from source.

  13. Re:NASTY IDIOTS by SuricouRaven · · Score: 2

    While it may be true in this particular instance, simplistic thinking of that nature is a dangerous way too approach politics. Sometimes new agencies and government programs can be a good thing, even enough to justify the taxation to run them.

  14. Extortion is not the answer. by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 2

    However, SCGC doesn't see the problem and believes that 15 gigabytes are enough. ... Those who go over the cap are likely streaming not properly compensated videos.

    Or... Amazon Prime or Netflix. If you think those sources do not properly compensate you, negotiate with them, don't extort the entire Internet base.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  15. Assumption of Guilt by iCEBaLM · · Score: 2

    Or, if you used more than 15GB/mo, maybe you just downloaded Monster Hunter World (19.5GB), or Overwatch (15.7GB), or Rise of the Tomb Raider (22 GB), or Destiny 2 (80.3GB), like I did this past week.

    Jesus, what's that. 137.5 GB. I don't stream music, I don't have a spotify account, any music I download is paid for on itunes or amazon or whatever web store is cheapest that day.

    This is blank media tax all over again. Idiots.

  16. I don't fucking think so by Tyr07 · · Score: 2

    Majority of the data is netflix for a lot of house holds. Youtube also.

    If you're a gamer, a lot of it is game updates. E.G Ark Survival ,that's 80 GB right there to install. They're going to charge me for installing games now?

    If you charge that tax, you're saying I'm entitled to the content because I paid for it. I will absolutely start a new business of content for everyone as will many others and it will backfire so damn hard. Just like CDRs

  17. Dirty liars by Kjella · · Score: 2

    So we think because the FANG companies will not give us access to the numbers that they have, we have to apply a broad-based levy. They're forcing us to.

    If you can create a levy on ISPs, you can create a levy on FANG companies. That they don't want to give you the numbers today doesn't matter if it becomes law. This is just a fake play to create outrage that no we can't have bandwidth taxes so we have to pick the other half of the false dilemma.

    --
    Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
  18. Games... OS updates... etc... by JDLazarus · · Score: 2

    I download more than 15GB/month in game patches for a variety of games across 4 computers and a playstation 4...

  19. Re:Rape legalized, thank you Conservatism! by fafalone · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'm certainly no fan of SJWs, but even the worst ones still support more civil liberties than the right. The right support civil asset forfeiture, the right is by far more strongly supportive of stripping 4th amendment rights, they're for continued marijuana prohibition, they're for stripping abortion rights, they're by far more strongly supportive of mass surveillance, they're more supportive of police in civil rights abuse cases, they're against sentencing reform and bail reform. Against marriage rights, discrimination protection for LGBT. For dictator-like levels of executive power. For subverting voting rights of the poor. For subverting voting rights of democrats in general, with gerrymandering. Then you have a whole list where they're both just as bad, and then a much smaller amount where they're better, such as gun rights and... what else, really? First amendment cancels out... better on free speech, worse on press freedom. Though that shifts depending on how much you think using religion to discriminate in non-religious settings is a right covered under it. Due process in limited circumstances (better for it on sex crimes, worse on all other crimes charged in courts).
    The right, as always, is the bigger threat to civil liberties, to anyone who actually cares about all of them, instead of the favored subset of their party at this time.

    Oh and by the way, if they do try to impeach Kavanaugh, no judge will adjudicate it, it's a purely political process conducted in Congress. If it was pursued criminally, having several people contradict you can indeed win a perjury charge. You don't need a video of him drinking to blackout and a doctor attesting to his memory loss, you just need witnesses who say they saw him do so. People are convicted exclusively on witness testimony all. the. time. I personally don't think that's a good strategy, but your claim that 'actual law' wouldn't support such a charge is false.

  20. Ummm. by jd · · Score: 2

    So coders (downloading and running a full gentoo environment for kernel or glibc development work) and physicists (downloading the five parameters needed for the 3D positions of 1.693 billion stars) are expected to pay music royalties?

    I've heard of the music of the spheres, but Canada had better be able to produce solid proof the score is encoded in the galactic position.

    I have no issue with rightful payment for rightful dues. But to demand a ransom from the innocent to pay for the follies of the guilty, a reverse Robin Hood, that gets me annoyed.

    Claim the silver from those that owe and leave free software and galactic explorers alone.

    --
    It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
  21. Re:Rape legalized, thank you Conservatism! by dryeo · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Was facts and due process used for Hillary or was she just judged in the court of public opinion? It's not like there were numerous investigations into her, yet the new Supreme Court Justice was screaming about the Clinton crime family.
    43% of Republicans support censoring the news and many are in favour of forcing private companies to post stuff they don't agree with.
    https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Repu...

    --
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_totalitarianism
  22. So get your royalties by HalAtWork · · Score: 2

    "[W]hen you're downloading and consuming over 15 gigabytes of data a month, you're likely streaming Spotify. You're likely streaming YouTube. You're likely streaming Netflix"

    So what... Are they not collecting royalties from Spotify, YouTube, and Netflix? If not, why is that the problem of consumers? Contact Spotify, YouTube, and Netflix and sort it out there.