German court sets copyright levy on new PCs
Found on IT World on Monday, 03 January 2005
The District Court of Munich has ordered Fujitsu Siemens Computers (Holding) BV to pay a copyright levy on new PCs.
VG Wort had filed a suit against Germany's largest PC maker, Fujitsu Siemens, seeking €30 (US$41) for each new computer sold in the country. The court agreed to a €12 copyright levy.
Germany is one of several European countries that, for decades, has been collecting special copyright levies on the sale of analog copying devices, such as blank audio and video cassettes. The levies are intended to compensate rights holders for lost royalties from private copying of music, images and moves.
Chief Executive Officer Bernd Bischoff called the copyright levy "a de facto tax on PCs," which has a negative impact on sales to consumers.
Now... let me think a little. Does that mean that you can pirate now legally, since you already paid your piracy tax? If not, why pay if you get fined anyway? Or is it just plain greed? Oh no, that couldn't be it, could it? So many questions...