It seems that everything’s gone wrong
Since Canada came along
Blame Canada!
- Blame Canada/South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
I’ll be darned. Canada’s charging an iPod Tax now.
The Copyright Board of Canada has approved a measure where digital media players and storage devices must be taxed on the assumption that they will be using copyrighted material, and that people who create these material need to be given their due.
Canadian Private Copyright Collective board member David Basskin says “We’d all like lots of things to be free. But those who create the music deserve to be compensated. When you go and buy an iPod, the retailer gets paid. So you can’t say that the people who make the music should get a free ride.” Eh?
This movement was begun in February by several industry alliances and councils who initially asked that levies be increased on recordable CDs and rewritable media like SD cards, including iPods and similar players. Logically, this would extend to any device that can play audio files, which will include computers and cellphones. The additional tax is there on the assumption that Canadians will be playing pirated material, and put there so that those wronged will get their due regardless. Double eh?
So does this mean that since the tax will be there, Canadians can now pirate with impunity? Hey, you guys paid for the right already, right?
If this becomes a trend (which I seriously doubt), blame Canada indeed.
More from Ars Technica.
