What the hell was my first thought on hearing this. The goverment in the UK wants to add a tax on all mp3 players, primarily the ipod. This is aparently in order to compenate music companies for the loss in 'sales' of their label due to the transfer from cd to mp3 player. The arguable factor is, if I buy the cd dont i have every right to then transfer that data onto a digital device for my own use if i please. are we then going to be placing a tax on radios television sets computers, voice recorders and so forth because the may involve the same basic actions of copying. yes piracy is illegal, but to include a tax on mp3 players seems absurd. how big a levy do they realuy expect to include on an ipod?
A 160gb ipod with 40 000 songs, I wether this means i would then be able to download any piece of material for my ipod regardless of copyright laws because I have paid a levy. Maybe the problem is not that its not completely about illegal downloads as the record labels are claiming but more about the fact that Aplle is profiting on the format shifting that allows the ipod to store all those songs and this profit they feel should be shared with the entire music industry. The issue is that the ipod is jsut like a computer in the palm of your hands so why not place a levy on computers as they also store 'illegaly' transferred music.
You may say that a computer is unlike a Apple ipod but then we have to look at the ipod touch and iphone which allows for browsing of the net. the real place that the levy should infact be placed is upon the recors thus the companies will be compensated for the records that are cloned onto computers, ipods and various other music storage devices. PLacing a levy on the ipod series would be totally irrational as the ipod isnt the only mp3 player in existence merely the most popular.
A 160gb ipod with 40 000 songs, I wether this means i would then be able to download any piece of material for my ipod regardless of copyright laws because I have paid a levy. Maybe the problem is not that its not completely about illegal downloads as the record labels are claiming but more about the fact that Aplle is profiting on the format shifting that allows the ipod to store all those songs and this profit they feel should be shared with the entire music industry. The issue is that the ipod is jsut like a computer in the palm of your hands so why not place a levy on computers as they also store 'illegaly' transferred music.
You may say that a computer is unlike a Apple ipod but then we have to look at the ipod touch and iphone which allows for browsing of the net. the real place that the levy should infact be placed is upon the recors thus the companies will be compensated for the records that are cloned onto computers, ipods and various other music storage devices. PLacing a levy on the ipod series would be totally irrational as the ipod isnt the only mp3 player in existence merely the most popular.
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