Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

shabbasuraj · Dec 17, 2004, 01:12 PM

"The Federal Court of Appeal has overturned a controversial $25 levy applied last December to all iPods and other MP3 digital music players.

At the same time, the court rejected claims the levy as it applies to blank recording media, such as cassette tapes and recordable CDs, is unconstitutional."

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Con...acodalogin=yes

Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Dec 17, 2004, 01:14 PM

Ya by $25. Good but no big whoop.

shabbasuraj · Dec 17, 2004, 01:17 PM

This news seems like it is only going to significantly increase the overall popularity of iPods in Canada as they are arguable this years 'must have' gift this holiday season.

Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Dec 17, 2004, 01:53 PM

Originally posted by shabbasuraj:
This news seems like it is only going to significantly increase the overall popularity of iPods in Canada as they are arguable this years 'must have' gift this holiday season.

I really don't think anyone is making a buying decision over $25.

turtle777 · Dec 17, 2004, 02:08 PM

NOPE !

Additional profit for Apple. That's all it will be.

-t

shabbasuraj · Dec 17, 2004, 02:10 PM

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
I really don't think anyone is making a buying decision over $25.

Agreed but a perceived $25 discount will heighten the 'BUZZ' per se.

Daracle · Dec 17, 2004, 02:31 PM

Does that mean we get our $25 back?

turtle777 · Dec 17, 2004, 02:41 PM

Originally posted by Daracle:
Does that mean we get our $25 back?

Sure. Just call Apple: 1-888-I-WANT-MY-MONEY-BACK-PRONTO

-t

Daracle · Dec 17, 2004, 03:52 PM

Any ideas?
That would be $40 I would get back.

ambush · Dec 17, 2004, 04:04 PM

Yeah I saw that on my way home... in the newspaper of the subway...

cool

PacHead · Dec 17, 2004, 04:10 PM

Originally posted by turtle777:
Sure. Just call Apple: 1-888-I-WANT-MY-MONEY-BACK-PRONTO

-t

Not apple, dumbass.

How about 1-800-Canadian-Government

This $25 surcharge was an extra fee added by the Canadian govt to all MP3 players sold. It was basically an MP3 player tax, much like a blank media tax that certain countries have.

Apple was one of the companies behind the move to get rid of the tax, since it made their products more expensive in that country.

Dec 17, 2004, 04:18 PM

Originally posted by PacHead:
Not apple, dumbass.

How about 1-800-Canadian-Government

This $25 surcharge was an extra fee added by the Canadian govt to all MP3 players sold. It was basically an MP3 player tax, much like a blank media tax that certain countries have.

Apple was one of the companies behind the move to get rid of the tax, since it made their products more expensive in that country.

Close but no cigar, it was added by The Canadian Copyright Board, a group represented by Canadian artists, not the federal government. If it was the feds, it would be called a tax. If I remember correctly, a levy is when a private group gets a fee applied to goods or services sold.

PacHead · Dec 17, 2004, 04:24 PM

Originally posted by hayesk:
Close but no cigar, it was added by The Canadian Copyright Board, a group represented by Canadian artists, not the federal government. If it was the feds, it would be called a tax. If I remember correctly, a levy is when a private group gets a fee applied to goods or services sold.

Levy or tax, I don't really see the difference. It's still $25 that had to be paid to the Man, and in this case the man happened to be the Canadian Copyright Board.

ambush · Dec 17, 2004, 04:25 PM

Originally posted by hayesk:
Close but no cigar, it was added by The Canadian Copyright Board, a group represented by Canadian artists, not the federal government. If it was the feds, it would be called a tax. If I remember correctly, a levy is when a private group gets a fee applied to goods or services sold.

BURN

turtle777 · Dec 17, 2004, 04:33 PM

Originally posted by PacHead:
Not apple, dumbass.

How about 1-800-Canadian-Government

You're the dumbass ! It was a joke !

Nobody will get anything back.
Do you really think the Canadian government is going to reimburse the customers ?

-t

PacHead · Dec 17, 2004, 04:38 PM

Originally posted by turtle777:

Do you really think the Canadian government is going to reimburse the customers ?

-t

Well, as it turns out it was the Canadian Copyright Board and not the Canadian Government, but you are incapable of reading anything apparently.

And yes, I suppose if any Canadian bought an iPod prior to the lifting, I assume they're screwed.

turtle777 · Dec 17, 2004, 04:43 PM

Originally posted by PacHead:
but you are incapable of reading anything apparently.

This shows how much I care about what you think.

-t

Severed Hand of Skywalker · Dec 17, 2004, 04:50 PM

I'd rather pay $25 on an iPod and legally be able to download songs and burn CD's rather than have the idiotic US RIAA suing 12 year old girls for downloading one Britney spears song.

Daracle · Dec 17, 2004, 05:07 PM

So even though it was found to be illegal, you guys think the chances of getting anything back are slim to none...

interesting.

macaddict0001 · Dec 17, 2004, 09:54 PM

'bout time they removed that damn thing, DUMBA$SES.

Mr. Blur · Dec 17, 2004, 10:59 PM

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
I'd rather pay $25 on an iPod and legally be able to download songs and burn CD's rather than have the idiotic US RIAA suing 12 year old girls for downloading one Britney spears song.

as a person that legally purchases music, i would rather see the levy gone as as far as i am concerned it i was nothing but presuming me guilty of something i was not doing.

im_noahselby · Dec 18, 2004, 02:33 AM

When a local news station in BC tried to contact Apple Canada about this matter, they said Apple could not be reached for comment. Based on Apple Canada's history, I would not expect the prices to lower. Maybe in January after the mad xmas frenzy has settled...

Noah

Dec 18, 2004, 12:03 PM

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
I'd rather pay $25 on an iPod and legally be able to download songs and burn CD's rather than have the idiotic US RIAA suing 12 year old girls for downloading one Britney spears song.

The levy doesn't make it legal to download songs. It never did. The levy is because the Copyright Board believes we should have to pay a fee to transfer our purchased music from one medium to another. They think we should have to pay for backups.

It sucks and it's stupid, but it has nothing to do with copying music from the Internet, a dude on a street corner, or anywhere else but your own purchased music.

Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Dec 22, 2004, 01:42 PM

Canadian retailers will soon slightly reduce the price of all Apple iPods following a recent Federal Court of Appeal decision throwing out the levy on digital music players with embedded memory.

According to an article in Market News, the price will be reduced at Future Shop and Best Buy stores by the amount of the previously imposed levy, which equates to $25 for Apple iPods, which come in 20GB and 40GB versions. For iPod Minis, which start at 4GB capacities, the savings will be $15.

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=795

Athens · Dec 23, 2004, 03:45 AM

Originally posted by hayesk:
The levy doesn't make it legal to download songs. It never did. The levy is because the Copyright Board believes we should have to pay a fee to transfer our purchased music from one medium to another. They think we should have to pay for backups.

It sucks and it's stupid, but it has nothing to do with copying music from the Internet, a dude on a street corner, or anywhere else but your own purchased music.

Ya but there is one thing you are missing. Because we pay a levy on media, we are effectively given the right to copy music as the royalties are paid. Its a gray area of the law.

Jim Paradise · Dec 23, 2004, 04:17 AM

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
I'd rather pay $25 on an iPod and legally be able to download songs and burn CD's rather than have the idiotic US RIAA suing 12 year old girls for downloading one Britney spears song.

LookSee · Dec 23, 2004, 06:54 AM

It's not going to get cheaper. It's just going to be sold at the retail price without the ridiculous levy.

Dec 23, 2004, 11:46 PM

Originally posted by Athens:
Ya but there is one thing you are missing. Because we pay a levy on media, we are effectively given the right to copy music as the royalties are paid. Its a gray area of the law.

There's a big misconception that the levy is to compensate for internet downloading - it isn't. The levy doesn't have anything to do with internet or illegal downloading. The levy gives us the "right" to copy music we legally purchased. That's one of the reasons the levy sucks. They seem to think we should pay extra to make copies of our purchased music.

But I agree, it's very grey. It should be more explicit.

d4nth3m4n · Dec 24, 2004, 12:00 AM

so wait, did this $25 charge essentially protect you from any possible trouble you might get into sharing music?

hell, i'd pay $25 for that kind of piece of mind.

LookSee · Dec 24, 2004, 12:25 AM

No, it didn't protect anyone from anything. The levy was just a way for the music industry to cipher money out of our pocket without them having to do any work, such as producing GOOD MUSIC that's worth buying and supporting. And they accuse us of being thieves. B*stards.

d4nth3m4n · Dec 24, 2004, 12:49 AM

oh, that's ******** then.

Dec 24, 2004, 10:41 AM

Originally posted by LookSee:
It's not going to get cheaper. It's just going to be sold at the retail price without the ridiculous levy.

Say, did any of you think about going to the Apple Store and check? They made it even cheaper.

The U2 iPod dropped by $50! The levy was only $25
The 20G by $30. The levy was only $25.
The mini by $20. The levy was only $15.

The other models dropped too but I forget how much they used to cost.