[pp.int.general] [Cafe] levies

[Rick Falkvinge (Piratpartiet)]

In all this talk about levies, I have yet to see somebody answer the 
fundamental questions:

Why is who is going to be compensated for what, and how?

Until some clear and coherent answers emerge on those four points as a 
composite image, the discussion is not productive. It is not enough to 
talk about levies in a vacuum - that's what the copyright lobby does. 
Talk as copyright as a right, which has no enforcement cost, which has 
no cost to society in terms of civil liberties. Every levy, every tax, 
every regulation has a cost associated with it. In the 80s, the record 
industry tried to outlaw private taping from radio.

For example, if you can't find a fair way to distribute the levies, then 
it's just another revenue source for the copyright lobby that has to do 
nothing to get money for more lobbying, and we are considerably worse 
off. And in order to find a fair way to distribute the levies, you 
(again) have to tap into every private communication. Back to square 
one. Either that, or you base it off of something completely different, 
which means that small unknown bands end up paying Elvis and Elton John.

This is details, but without details, it's just an ivory tower 
discussion. If it can't be done in practice, then so must be said.