[pp.int.general] [Cafe] levies

[Ole Husgaard]

Carlos Ayala wrote:
> ----- Mensaje original ----
> De: Rick Falkvinge (Piratpartiet) <rick at piratpartiet.se>
> Enviado: martes, 25 de marzo, 2008 23:44:29
> > 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?
>
> Actually I made the same question -except for the how, because I 
> believe first it has to be found out why-; and you're right, nobody 
> has answered. Maybe because the answer is no, maybe because there is 
> nothing to be compensated.

I agree that before we can start talking about levies, we have to 
consider these fundamental questions. And I like how Rick actually asks 
four questions in such a short sentence.

> Just in the case that someone would be able to find why levies should 
> be paid -and as you said nobody could up to now-, according to civil 
> law the requirement for a fair way to distribute the levies -i.e.: 
> only paying the ones who would be causing the loss, and only receiving 
> the ones who would be suffering the loss- is mandatory. If levies are 
> not distributed according to such principles, there is no room for 
> them; and if for levies to be distributed according to such 
> principles, civil rights and liberties have to be compromised, it 
> becomes certainly unbearable.

I can give you an example from Denmark on how levies are unfairly 
distributed. If you buy a digital camera with a removable memory stick 
you have to pay a levy of DKK 4.51. The argument is that the memory 
stick can be removed from the camera and used in a mp3-player. The music 
industry gets the money. Although the memory stick can clearly be used 
for photographs (that is what it is sold for!), the photographers do not 
see a dime. Although our copyright law has had a clause saying the the 
minister of culture can investigate if the money is fairly distributed 
ever since the levy system was introduced, no minister of culture has 
ever dared do it. The system is simply too rotten.

And just as bad: Even if I buy memory media with content on it, I have 
to pay the levy if the memory media can be erased. And each time I erase 
the media I have to pay the levy again. And I have to be registered as a 
blank media producer before I am even allowed to erase the memory media 
(otherwise they cannot check if I really pay the levy each time I erase 
the media. This is fortunately not (yet!) enforced against private 
citizens. The reason for this dates about 15 years back to a time where 
the levy for VHS tapes was so high that people stopped buying blank VHS 
tapes and instead started buying VHS tapes with movies, as they were 
cheaper and it is quite easy to rease the movie to make space for your 
home videos.

So every time I erase the pictures in my digital camera I formally have 
to pay DKK 4.51 to the music industry.


Best Regards,

Ole Husgaard.

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