Canadian MP3 levy illegal

Canadian consumers may like Apple's iPod after the Federal Court of Appeal ruled that special copyright levies applied to digital music players in the country are not legal, reports The Globe and Mail. The biggest charges have been paid by iPod buyers, which have among the largest capacity to store music. In Canada, the $400 price tag for an iPod has included a $25 copyright levy. "A 71-page decision by Mr. Justice Marc Noël found that although the Copyright Board of Canada was seeking to protect music writers and performers from the “harm” caused by digital copying of music when it imposed the MP3 levies last December, the board did not have the legislative authority to do so." As a result of Thursday's decision, the levy can no longer be collected. Apple was unavailable to comment on whether a price decrease is in the works.

by MacNN Staff