copyright, royalties, micropayments, Finn cabbies to pay

[AARG! Anonymous]

mv at cdc.gov (Major Variola ret) writes:

> http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_721008.html
> 
> Finnish taxi drivers to pay royalties for backseat music
>
> Finland's Supreme Court has ruled taxi drivers must pay royalty fees
> if they play music in their car while a customer is in the backseat.
>
> The order even applies to the radio.
>
> A case, based on one driver's refusal to pay, is likely to set a
> precedent for the 9,500 cab drivers in the country.
>
> Under the ruling, a cab driver in Finland must pay #14 annually for
> playing music while transporting a fare.
>
> Lauri Luotonen, chairman of the Helsinki Taxi Drivers' Association,
> says the ruling is likely to force most drivers to keep their radios
> off.
>
> Recently, two Finnish churches refused to pay royalties to the
> country's copyright society for the performance of Christmas hymns.
> The congregations won their case in a district court, but the society
> has appealed.