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Japan to start iPod tax, says report

7 May 2008 14:14 by Andre "DVDBack23" Yoskowitz | 10 comments

According to Asahi Shimbun report, the Japanese government is set to propose a plan that will charge "copyright royalties on sales of iPods and other portable digital music players, as well as on digital hard disk recorders".

The agency in charge, the Agency of Cultural Affairs has not made a decision on the amount of the fee but it expected to be low, about 100 yen (95 cents USD) per sale, for an annual total about 1 billion yen (about $9.5 million USD). All fees collected would then go to songwriters, artists, and the record labels. Older devices such as DVD burners and minidisk players are already subject to a similar copyright fee.

This is not the first time the Japanese recording industry has tried to get this "iPod Tax" passed. In 2005 the proposal was almost imposed but a government committee failed to reach consensus on the issue and it fell apart.

Permalink to this article | Topic: MP3 & Digital Audio

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21Q (Senior Member) 7 May 2008 16:01
Eh, 100 yen isnt anything. [ + quote]
JRude (Newbie) 7 May 2008 18:12
The power to tax is the power to destroy. Since when was the Entertainment Industry a branch of all international governments? Their own "police", their own law, their own tax. WAKE UP PEOPLE! [ + quote]
iluvendo (Senior Member) 7 May 2008 19:13
Socialist governments have *NEVER* seen a tax it did'nt like. If it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck! "The flimsier the product,the higher the price" Ferengi 82nd rule of aquisition [ + quote]
nobrainer (Member) 8 May 2008 2:27
And the media industry dictate to another government. expect it in europe sometime soon as the media industry still believe that you don't actually own media you purchase, i'm not looking forward to licencing over physicial sales seems sony is one of the key members and their anti-consumer approach to licencing is you cannot, re-sell, lend or even give away their media! iPod tax: UK music biz open to format shifting... for a fee *Originally posted by link:* Early this year, the BPI again said all the right things about format shifting, but we noted that the Association of Independent Music was making noises; apparently, the group wanted to get paid whenever music was transferred from a CD to a portable device. but sony do think copying cd's is theft. Sony BMG's chief anti-piracy lawyer: "Copying" music you own is "stealing" *Originally posted by link:* "When an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song." Making "a copy" of a purchased song is just "a nice way of saying 'steals just one copy'," she said. The BPI Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI. The RIAA Soundexchange Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI. The IFPI Are: The same anti consumer lot as listed above! The MPAA Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, DISNEY, PARAMOUNT, FOX. [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 8 May 2008 2:33
emugamer (Junior Member) 8 May 2008 11:53
$0.95 tax on a $250 iPod is nothing. .38% of the purchase. I can live with that. As long as they don't come back in a year crying poor and saying that they need more. If some pennies shut them up, so be it. [ + quote]
LCoop (Newbie) 10 May 2008 0:06
*Originally posted by 21Q:* Eh, 100 yen isnt anything. in the beginning the income tax wasn't anything either. [ + quote]
emugamer (Junior Member) 10 May 2008 8:28
*Quote:* *Originally posted by 21Q:* Eh, 100 yen isnt anything. in the beginning the income tax wasn't anything either. Yeah, and we didn't have paved roads or bridges. [ + quote]
LCoop (Newbie) 10 May 2008 12:01
*Quote:* *Quote:* *Originally posted by 21Q:* Eh, 100 yen isnt anything. in the beginning the income tax wasn't anything either. Yeah, and we didn't have paved roads or bridges. yes those are good things - I suppose that overall we are fortunate that only 40% of our tax money goes to waste fraud and mismanagement - and stupid wars. :-) [ + quote]
Ofnir1 (Senior Member) 10 May 2008 14:49
*Quote:* *Quote:* *Quote:* *Originally posted by 21Q:* Eh, 100 yen isnt anything. in the beginning the income tax wasn't anything either. Yeah, and we didn't have paved roads or bridges. yes those are good things - I suppose that overall we are fortunate that only 40% of our tax money goes to waste fraud and mismanagement - and stupid wars. :-) And almost the rest lines the pockets of those who talk a big game, but never do anything. If I was in Japan, I'd support the tax, but only if it went to the artists alone. I'm not aware of how much the agents/execs of the record companies get as opposed to their artists do, but if it's like it is there as it is in America, then forget it! :D [ + quote]
LCoop (Newbie) 10 May 2008 15:03
*Quote:* And almost the rest lines the pockets of those who talk a big game, but never do anything. If I was in Japan, I'd support the tax, but only if it went to the artists alone. I'm not aware of how much the agents/execs of the record companies get as opposed to their artists do, but if it's like it is there as it is in America, then forget it! :D I could support little taxes like this on media for continuing support of the artists but like some taxes I'd always be afraid it it turning into a 'monster'. I'm always upset about all the little extra "stuff" that they sneak onto my phone bill over the years. [ + quote]