12/14/2003: 
Criminally Absurd
Canada to Charge Music Royalties on MP3s
By Colin McClelland, Associated Press from The Washington Post
TORONTO - The cost of an MP3 player will increase in Canada after the government's copyright agency decided Friday to charge a tax of up to $19 per unit to reimburse singers and songwriters.
The new levy on MP3s will use a sliding scale depending on memory size: $1.50 for units with up to 1 gigabyte, $11.25 for 1 to 10 gigabytes, and $19 for devices of more than 10 gigabytes. Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod player, for example, comes with 10, 20 or 40 gigabytes.
More than 40 countries charge consumers extra for blank tapes and CDs to help artists make up for the revenue lost when consumers get a copy of something rather than buying it new. Canada has been doing it since 2000; the United States does not.
The precedent has been set. Inevitably coming to an asshat country near you.
