CDR: Re: Germans to tax PCs for Lars

Tom Vogt tom at ricardo.de
Fri Sep 8 02:14:16 PDT 2000


Bill Stewart wrote:
> So does the proposed law require companies to pay GEMA
> if they make or sell anything in this category?

I'm afraid that is what is being proposed.
of course, similiar stuff has been proposed for a long time. the IP
industry is greedy, as we all know. and since IP is an artificial right,
created by law (copyright, among others), they need laws if they want to
move into new areas of business or extend their old ones. other people
innovate to grow, IP corporations buy new laws.



> If they don't pay, what happens?  Lawsuit?  Criminal prosecution?

lawsuit, civil, most likely.



> In the US, there are a couple of organizations, I think ASCAP and BMI,
>         (American Society of Composers, Artists, and Performers)
> that manage the intellectual property rights for most musicians.
> If you play music on the radio or do other public performances,
> you have to pay them their standard rates.  It's not mandatory -
> there are non-ASCAP musicians, and radio stations (particularly
> religious talk/music stations) that don't participate,
> but if you play music from their members on the radio without
> a license from them, they'll sue for copyright infringement.

that's pretty much the same situation, I guess.






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