Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPod Family
Japan to abandon iPod copyright fee
For years, legislators in Japan have wanted a portion of the price of a digital recording device (up to 3%) to go to recording companies, songwriters and artists. The so-called "iPod tax" has met opposition from electronics manufacturers, as you could imagine. However, it looks like it's not going to happen. A group failed to create an agreement yet again this week, prompting official Masafumi Kiyota to say that "...there is virtually no hope for getting the legislation passed." Certainly good news for consumers.
Other electronic devices like minidisk players and DVD recorders have a copyright tax built into the price tag in Japan. The logic (if you want to call it that) is that consumers will use these devices to illegally acquire copyrighted material, so why not have them pay for it before hand, as a preemptive strike? Sounds to me like someone has contempt for their customers.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Alex Land said 6:45PM on 7-10-2008
You're saying that most ipod owners DON'T have illegal content on their devices? A policy like this makes perfect sense to me, especially if it means the RIAA will piss off.
Personally, I use a zune. It sucks having to deal with vmware fusion nonstop, but everything works perfectly aaand all my music is legal.
Hopefully apple negates the whole argument and does a similar system through itunes. I really think an entire generation of music pirates would go legit.
Reply
south said 8:06PM on 7-10-2008
so you don't have a single "illegal" song on your Zune, but you were OK with paying a copyright tax to buy it? (you know, that little extra charge Microsoft negotiated with the record companies, and which US iPods don't have.) yeah, that was a smart choice.
Alex Land said 8:16PM on 7-10-2008
Can you please find a link to an article discussing this supposed tax microsoft paid? I'm not doubting you, I just couldn't find anything after a little cursory googling.
I bought the zune when it came out. The price was the exact same as the 30 gig ipod model, so if I had unwittingly paid some hypothetical tax it didn't affect me in the least. Artists got paid, I got a great player (much better than an ipod circa 2006 when it launched). Win win situation wouldn't you agree?
south said 8:50PM on 7-10-2008
$1 from every Zune sale goes to Universal. I only it's only a buck, but it's the principle...
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061109-8187.html
Alex Land said 10:07PM on 7-10-2008
Touche.. guess I didn't look hard enough. A dollar is a dollar, but I know what you mean.
I just wonder what the harm really is. The price is the same as it would have been no matter who got a cut and the labels that are losing tons of cash bc of piracy are getting a bit of a cut. Plus $1 per zune sold equals like $50 in universal's pocket AMIRITE?!
Alex Land said 10:09PM on 7-10-2008
Also, could I say 'got a cut' any more?
Philz said 6:46PM on 7-10-2008
I wouldn't say they have contempt for their customers. They just know what they do, and aren't out to sue them to extinction...
You obviously have not been to Japan or know there culture, but you can go to any CD rental store (all over the place) and rent a CD. I'd say 75% of the people that do is to put it onto a minidisc (no one uses CD players much in Japan, more MD or ..iPod).
At least the tax on MD players/discs are not noticeable at all, if anything I think it is just fine. Now what they want to do in the states, that is absurd... The ammounts are completly diffrent.
Reply
Paradoxcis said 9:18PM on 7-10-2008
Many countries have a private copying levy. In exchange the consumer tends to receive more relaxed fair use provisions in local copyright legislation.
See Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_copying_levy
Reply
Fred said 9:46PM on 7-10-2008
I believe Germany has a quite similar law, very much intact, sad for the customer (as it won't reduce the money they make you spend on the actual license).
Reply
Samuel Lago said 5:12PM on 7-15-2008
Oh yea and where did the MiniDisc come from = SONY and what do I say about them (except I hate them) BDS=Don't Buy SONY!!!
Reply