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<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff size=2>Copyright levies are
becoming a problem: <A
href="http://www.twobirds.com/english/publications/articles/Copyright_levies_Europe.cfm?back">http://www.twobirds.com/english/publications/articles/Copyright_levies_Europe.cfm?back</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff size=2>The EU thinks of
harmonising levies and has a consultation: <A
href="http://www.twobirds.com/english/publications/articles/Copyright_levies_Europe.cfm?back">http://www.twobirds.com/english/publications/articles/Copyright_levies_Europe.cfm?back</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff size=2>Some people, even in
information activists circles such as ours, believe that levies are the lesser
evil and should be accepted now that DRM has proven infeasible.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff size=2>A major problem with levies
is the fundamental impossibility to have a just basis for tariffs. Usually the
tariff is per unit of storage (byte), but the relationship between value of the
work and the amount of storage needed is very indirect. A PDF file is much
larger than an ASCII file with the same text, even if the author
effort is exactly the same. And as the price per byte of storage media
decreases all the time due to the development of technology, the levy portion
increases. 2/3 of the price of a blank DVD is levies, and it will perhaps be 90%
o the next generation DVD. This favours illegal trade. Finally, the distribution
of the levies collected is a major problem. It is expensive (high "transaction
cost"), and how should thise levies be distributed? One of the purposes of
copyright is to foster culture, but levy systems usually only look at numbers,
so that rich popular artists are favoured and become even richer. Cuktural
values may differ from economic values.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff size=2>Sometimes I believe that a
"Verelendung" strategy (an old Marxist concept) may be helpful: advocate a levy
on blank paper! An claim a portion of copyright levies for the text contributed
to mailing lists, such as this one!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff size=2>And on a more serious
level: the basis copyright premise that ALL copies are entitled for a
copyright (even if I make a copy of my own *LEGAL* CD onto my MP3 player!)
should be questioned. It is ridiculous in the digital
age. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff size=2>Groeten, Grüße, Regards,
Cordialement, Hälsningar, Ciao, Saygilar, Üdvözlettel, Pozdrowienia, Kumusta,
Adios, Oan't sjen, Ave, Doei, Yassou, Yoroshiku<BR>>>> REINIER B.
BAKELS <BR>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</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>