[pp.int.general] PP position on levies

[Rick Falkvinge (Piratpartiet)]

In Sweden, we are against levies (want the existing ones abolished), for the
primary reason that they are an artificial obstacle to the noncommercial
spread of culture.

Since we say that noncommercial retrieval, use, derivation and distribution
shall be explicitly encouraged, it follows that it cannot be taxed or
levied.

There are many other good reasons, you mention several in this letter.

Other PP positions may vary. I recall that Spain is also strongly against
levies.

Rick


> -----Original Message-----
> From: pp.international.general-bounces at lists.pirateweb.net 
> [mailto:pp.international.general-bounces at lists.pirateweb.net] 
> On Behalf Of Reinier Bakels
> Sent: Saturday, March 08, 2008 10:13
> To: Pirate Parties International -- General Talk
> Subject: [pp.int.general] PP position on levies
> 
> Forgive me my basic question, but what is PP's position on levies?
> 
> In my view, levy systems assume present day copyright as a 
> given and only 
> try to make the collection of author compensation money more 
> efficient, at 
> the expense of justice. Occationally levy systems are seen as 
> the "next 
> best" now that DRM is generally rejected, but it has many 
> disadvantages:
> - What is the unit of measure? I assume it can't be anything 
> else than the 
> bit.
> - There not relationship between the number of bits and the 
> cost, let alone 
> the value of a work. A PDF of a work is much larger than a 
> flat ASCII file 
> of the same work.
> - Due to ever falliing storage cost, the levy proportion of 
> the sales price 
> of storage media will stringly increase. 2/3 of the price of 
> a blank DVD is 
> levies. For a blue ray DVD it may be 90%. This will evoke a 
> black market and 
> associated criminality.
> - Levies will touch lost of copyright-free work. E.g. 
> companies dostributing 
> *their own* software on CDROM. Or the levies on copiers to be paid by 
> business who only copy their own letters, no copyrighted works.
> - How to distribute the income from levies? Economic criteria 
> will make 
> popular artists even richer. Cultural diversity criteria 
> require complicated 
> judgements.
> - Levy systems are expensive and suffer from high overheads, 
> "transaction 
> cost", in economic terms.
> - Levy systems also affect works that were supposed to be free by the 
> author: open source software, creative commons, even this 
> e-mail. They 
> assume *all* authors want to make money from their works, whch is in 
> conflict wirth the basic right of self-determination.
> - Levy systems tend to favour traditional distributors (publishers), 
> removing innovation incentives.
> 
> 
> Groeten, Grüße, Regards, Cordialement, Hälsningar, Ciao, Saygilar, 
> Üdvözlettel, Pozdrowienia, Kumusta, Adios, Oan't sjen, Ave, 
> Doei, Yassou, 
> Yoroshiku
> >>> REINIER B. BAKELS
> private: Johan Willem Frisostraat 149, 2713 CC Zoetermeer, 
> The Netherlands 
> telephone: +31 79 316 3126, GSM ("Handy") +31 6 4988 6490,  
> fax +31 79 316 
> 7221 
> 
> 
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