News
Mix: iPod Tax, Star Trek, BlackBerry, Yahoo Music
The Canadian Private Copying Collective—an association of composers, recording artists, publishers, and record labels—is asking the Copyright Board of Canada to re-introduce the controversial “iPod Tax” fee into the sale price of MP3 players in Canada.
Apple has quietly removed both “Star Trek: The Original Series” and “Star Trek: Enterprise” from the iTunes Store. No reason was given. Star Trek movies remain for sale on iTunes.
Apple’s iPhone does not pose a threat to the BlackBerry Pearl, RIM’s co-chief executive said in an interview. “It’s kind of one more entrant into an already very busy space with lots of choice for consumers,” Jim Balsillie said. “But in terms of a sort of a sea-change for BlackBerry, I would think that’s overstating it.”
Dave Goldberg, head of Yahoo Music, agrees with Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ recent call for DRM-free music. “I’ve long advocated removing DRM on music because there is already a lot of music available without DRM, and it just makes things complicated for the user,” Goldberg said. He also noted that the Microsoft DRM that Yahoo Music uses “doesn’t work half the time.”
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1
I wonder why they removed Star Trek The Original Series. I bought one of those recently.
Maybe its due to another wonderful lawsuit…..there are just not enough of those.
We need more lawsuits.
Posted by unreal on February 12, 2007 at 10:32 AM (PDT)
2
I wonder if the “iPod Tax” will actually increase the amount of pirated music in Canada. I can see a lot of people copying music and justifing it by saying “I already paid for it when I paid the iPod Tax”.
Posted by wot_fan on February 12, 2007 at 11:41 AM (PDT)
3
If the they made me pay a ipod tax for people downloading privated music, then I would just get all my music off of limewire.
Posted by stevenjuke on February 12, 2007 at 1:02 PM (PDT)
4
I believe the Star Trek shows have been removed for technical (read ‘quality’) issues.
Apparently an update will be posted on StarTrek.com when things get fixed.
Posted by Weeble on February 13, 2007 at 12:03 PM (PDT)
5
Oh yeah. And the Canadian Private Copying Collective had better face the fact that any ipod tax will only encourage people to copy music.
Posted by Weeble on February 13, 2007 at 12:05 PM (PDT)
6
>“We’d all like lots of things to be free. But those who create the music deserve to be compensated. When you go and buy an iPod, the retailer gets paid. So you can’t say that the people who make the music should get a free ride.”
My idea is that any CD or song thing that has gone platinum in Canada (100,000 copies) should be banned from getting any of the tax money since those creators and musicians have already been well compensated for their work.
I know they will want to focus their energy and attention on low selling independent music whose creators could really use the money.
Posted by binkie on February 13, 2007 at 12:17 PM (PDT)
7
iPod tax…hmmm…say, we’ve been struggling with paying for a new underground freeway here in Seattle (think Boston’s Big Dig, only drop the ‘Big’ and about $10B dollars, give or take).
Perhaps all those future oblivious iPod (and like devices) cross-walkers should be TAXED to pay for such subterranean roadways so that all those hurtful, troublesome cars and their oblivious, text-tapping, latte-sipping, teeth-brushing drivers go underground, making crossing the street with one’s gadgets in full operation such a wonderful, un-legislated, kinda groovy experience.
(Sarcasm on high)
Posted by flatline response on February 13, 2007 at 1:01 PM (PDT)