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Date:      Wed, 10 Oct 2001 13:40:56 -0500
From:      Mike Meyer <mwm@mired.org>
To:        Rahul Siddharthan <rsidd@physics.iisc.ernet.in>
Cc:        Jamie Bowden <ragnar@sysabend.org>, freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: SSSCA?
Message-ID:  <15300.38456.184889.825174@guru.mired.org>
In-Reply-To: <20011010191529.C83192@lpt.ens.fr>
References:  <4.3.2.7.2.20011010104701.04264050@localhost> <Pine.BSF.4.10.10110100931360.45215-100000@moo.sysabend.org> <4.3.2.7.2.20011010101446.053c3560@localhost> <20011010184600.A82552@lpt.ens.fr> <20011010185224.A83192@lpt.ens.fr> <4.3.2.7.2.20011010110117.04268f00@localhost> <20011010191529.C83192@lpt.ens.fr>

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Rahul Siddharthan <rsidd@physics.iisc.ernet.in> types:
> Question about these taxes on things like CD writers, which are
> supposed to "compensate" for copyright violation: does that mean,
> having paid that tax, I'm now entitled to copy copyrighted material
> using it?  If not, what the heck am I paying that tax for?

For the right to be able to buy those devices at all. The taxes that I
know of are applied to the media - cassette tapes, CDs for audio cd
copiers, and DAT. I'm not sure, but I think videotape isn't taxed
because Sony won the betamax case.

The content licensing industry has sufficient pull that they can
prevent such things from hitting market unless they get
compensation.

If Brett's right and the auto manufacturers line up against this,
it'll have a tough time passing. On the other hand, changing it so
that it's limited to devices capable of storing or playing
copyrightable content would probably miss them, as well as most people
using embedded systems - but still make Eisner et. al. happy. And
would be no less nasty to anyone working outside the mainstream.

	<mike
--
Mike Meyer <mwm@mired.org>			http://www.mired.org/home/mwm/
Q: How do you make the gods laugh?		A: Tell them your plans.

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