Canada may add a levy to memory cards, iPods, portable music players

[mandy]

Canada may have lost an earlier attempt to add a levy to memory sales to compensate for revenue lost to unauthorized music copying, but it hasn't given up. Now Canada's Private Copyright Collective is working to add a levy to memory cards, iPods, and other portable music players, according to Canada.com.

The group is arguing that the iPod and similar media players should be considered recording devices and subject to Canada's Copyright Act. The group already collects a levy on blank CDs and cassette tapes sold in Canada and then distributes the money to recording studios so that artists can receive additional royalty payments...

The group is now asking the Copyright Board to add a CA$5 (US$4.25) levy on music devices with up to 1 GB of storage, CA$25 ($21.27) for devices with 1 GB to 10 GB, CA$50 ($42.54) for devices with 10 GB up to 30 GB, and CA$75 ($63.81) for devices over 30 GB. The levy would raise the price of a 30 GB iPod in Canada 26 percent from CA$290 ($246.74) up to CA$365 ($310.56)...

full article: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/8XAv...-Tax.xhtml

[mandy]

Canada may also tax music downloads:

Canadians may soon pay a small tax on every legal music store download, says a new measure (PDF) sanctioned by the Copyright Board of Canada. Requested by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), the tax would apply at least 2.1 cents to every individual song download and 1.5 cents per track for complete albums. Subscription download and streaming services would themselves be charged between 5.7 and 6.8 percent of a user's monthly fees. Minimum fees would also apply for every larger download or subscription...

full article: http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/10/19/c...sic.sales/