|   Canadian Coalition for Fair Digital Access (CCFDA) | ForeverAutumn
Mar 3, 2003 7:55 PM | | Hey fellow Canucks (and anyone else who cares about unfair levies on digital media), please check out this Web site.
http://www.ccfda.ca
From the site:
The CCFDA is a broad-based organization of manufacturers, retailers, and distributors working together to repeal Canada's private copy levy system and replace it with a more equitable solution for all Canadians.
This site has a lot of information (which I haven't had time to read through yet) about the current system, proposed changes to the system and how we can help to fight it and bring about changes that would create a fair system.
It also includes contact information for key government figures.
I found the site because I was in Best Buy this evening and they had a big sign up in the store to promote the site, their involvement, and the high cost of the new proposed levies.
We currently pay 21 cents per CD-R. If proposed changes go through, we'll soon pay 59 cents per CD-R. Not only will this hurt our wallets, but these levies could be applied to other technology as well and could have a large negative effect on Canadian business.
The site is worth a visit.
Autumn
P.S. Best Buy rocks! Spock's Beard, Snow, for only $15.99! ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, Source Tags and Codes only $11.99. |
| Question | Audio Girl
Mar 3, 2003 9:01 PM | | Not that it makes a difference but does that $.21 involve music only or media/data CDRS? Just curious. Thanks for the headsup up.
MH |
| I believe it is any CDR. Tax Vampires! (n/t) | BarryL
Mar 4, 2003 8:42 AM | | |
| Answer - Tax Vampires Indeed!! | ForeverAutumn
Mar 4, 2003 6:50 PM | | Attached is an excerpt from the site. Based on the information here, I think that we can safely assume that they would take levies on whatever they can get away with. In another part of the site, they talk about potential levies on MP3 players as well.
b The scope of the levy regime is too broad
The scope of the private copying provisions under the current legislation is so broad that a number of commonly-used products such as personal computers, consumer electronics and other multi-purpose storage media technologies - that serve many purposes other than recording music - risk having levies applied to them. Flash memory, for example, is used in PDAs and digital cameras. A significant expansion of the scope of the levy would impose unreasonable new costs on Canadian businesses, consumers and public institutions.
b The existing regime is bureaucratic and inefficient
Consumers have already paid over $28 million in levies to the Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC) since the private copying provisions of the Copyright Act came into force. The CPCC has publicly conceded that, to date, none of this money has been paid out to the composers, performers and producers (artists) intended to benefit from the levies. |
| How is this not criminal activity? Only in Canada. N/T | BarryL
Mar 5, 2003 11:20 AM | | |
| You know what this means don't you? | ForeverAutumn
Mar 5, 2003 7:05 PM | | We're gonna have to start driving to Buffalo and smuggling CD-Rs over the border.
Ahhh, just like the good old days when our dollar was strong and it actually paid to go border hopping. Now our taxes will drive us to it.
:-( |
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