French courts require foreign vendors to remind customers about 'iPod tax'

Oops...1Password pasted the same comment the last time I posted to TUAW. Ignore that one. I meant to say:

If I had to pay this "tax" I'd download loads of stuff (movies/music/etc) for free online. Sounds to me like this fee would legitimize piracy. I don't think many would fee obligated to pay for content if they feel like they already did. I'd raise bloody hell if my Congress man/woman were to vote for something like this. Yikes!

I sold my AAPL today, took a nice 25% gain since I purchased it. When the market comes out of the crapper I'll probably get back into AAPL. Right now it's just not a good time....

You guys are not discussing the most disturbing aspect...

French law trying to impose itself on British, US, Swedish, Chinese...(and so on) companies. French law for companies outside France?

Let me explain:
When going to www.amazon.co.uk you are NOT "visiting a store in the UK". Oh no. The store is "visiting you in France". Oh yes.

The interpretation I make of this an other internet-retail related laws and deals around the world is that it is the website doing the travveling, the crossing of borders... not you as the customer.

If you and I (the customer) was crossing the border than all that was needed was the same customs rules that apply to any international purchase.

Only lawyers could come up with this world view. :)
I, on the other hand, believe that I am "purchasing from the UK" in much the same way as if I pick up a phone and call them.

Well, I find it an interesting way of looking at the legal deals surrounding iTunes and other legal documents such as this French ruling.

it's the same than TVA : tax on value, when you buy stuff in Europa. The foreigner seller has to inform the buyer.

it's the same thing here
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there are already talks to tax ONLINE storage.

of course videogame console will be taxed


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democracy and capitalism are not only american and never was there first.

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america has the mighty powerful FCC, not so "capitalist"

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the actual french government is really scary for me (I'm french), but it was a tendency for years to try to tax everything new.

you see, the main problem is governments are trying to protect old ways to make money with cultural goods. not to promote new ones.

ho! and itunes movies store in France is crappy empty (well.. there are some new local show.. this month)

and americans hate us : no mp3 amazon outside the U.S.

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the reinforcement of copyright laws to only the benefits of the right-holder (not the artist, not the public) is a bad issue in U.S.

it was explained as "mickey laws" : every time mickey should be in public domain, new laws and bills was written and passed to prevent that.

when copyright is totally all-powerful and last more and more longer, it's no more "capitalism".


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you think it's only about France ? no.

France is not the only country whose parliament passed a levy law on mp3 players, mobile phones –mp3 capable–, and any storage device.
Spain also has such levy and it is called «the canon».
When it was first proposed by the SGAE (stands for General Society of Spanish Authors) both main parties supported it and took it to the Parliament to make it a law.
When it reached the news and the people, the controversy started and «anti-canon» societies and individual voices sprung all over the country (you just check the internet). But besides that, there was nothing the people could do. The biggest anti-canon society even met the President Zapatero as representing a widespread opinion, but they were finally dismissed.
I don't think Spanish or French peoples are stupid as somebody posted above. Maybe their governments. And the real ones to blame are those who promote piracy.
As the Spanish idiom says:
«Siempre pagan justos por pecadores»
(«Fair people always pay for the sinners»)

All these countries trying to copy the United States just end up practicing pseudo-capitalism and pseudo-democracy. There's no democracy, or capitalism behind this.

Yeah... and people say the United States sucks. God bless America.

Piro, I feel (like during the Worlds Championships) we defeat France:
our country is governed by the Asshole King and we got way more stupid laws than France! ^_^ btw we too pay the "memory support tax" on CDs and HDs.
I imagine that EU will state that France can not force foreign shops to put any message...

We French, allowed our governement to do so because we, French are stupid. We make laws and laws and laws and we never respect them, considering it's better to give the entire worlds lessons about this and that. Because, making SOOOO many laws and putting such a asshole in charge of the country makes us kinda better than anyone.
Good thing im part Italian... Oh no... they have the other side of the Asshole we have...

Damn..

What about Mars ? Do they have DSL broadband up there ?

Wow, I can''t wait to see this tax imposed on DVD players and video game consoles to combat piracy. Oh wait, that will never happen...

Don't twist your mind. When it is about tax, nobody in the world can beat France !!
When I buy a CD, I pay for it, ok. But then, I copy it in iTunes, I pay a second time because I paid a tax on the hard drive. Then, I make a copy on a writable CD to take it safely in my car, I pay a third time because there is a tax on each blank CD. Finally, I transfer the songs on my iPhone and I pay a fourth time because there was a tax on my iPhone when I bought it. Isn't this lovely ????

And then, our president, who married a singer, don't understand why we complain about not having enough money .......