Music Group Wants iPod Tax

Now here is an idea that is sure to go down like a lead balloon. In another salvo in the increasingly complex and bitter music copyright war, the UK-based Music Business Group (MBG) wants the UK government to tax media players such as iPods.

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The MBG rejected a recent government proposal, which would see people legally able to transfer music from CDs to media players for free; while the practice is widespread and taken for granted by the public and companies like Apple, in the UK it is technically a violation of copyright. The MBG is said to have taken the same position as America’s RIAA however, and called for a levy on sale of devices such as iPods.

“We acknowledge that consumers clearly want to format shift and also place enormous value on the transferability of music. Music fans clearly deserve legal clarity in this area as well as the freedom to enjoy any music they have legitimately obtained…”, adding that “music lovers are currently excluded from the value chain”, says The MBG in a statement to The Guardian newspaper.

In 2005 a similar proposal in Canada was defeated and in 2006 a push for an iPod tax was rejected by the then Attorney-General Philip Ruddock.