I Love Being Right

Do you recall a rant I wrote up back in February, 2007?  I was unhappy with the idea of a tax being impose on iPod, with that collected money going to the recording industry to compensate them for stolen music.  I was ticked off with this idea for a number of reasons, one being that it would effectively "fine" me for a crime that I didn't commit (i.e., I don't steal music...I buy it!).  More importantly, I thought that such a levy would basically give people who did steal music the argument that "hey, I didn't steal anything....I've already compensated you (recording industry) through the tax I paid on my iPod".  When I wrote about that, people emailed me for a week telling me I was off my rocker.

Well, seems that the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA), who has been fighting for this levy, has suddenly changed their mind and are looking to NOT have this in place.

The Canadian Recording Industry Association this week quietly filed documents in the Federal Court of Appeal that will likely shock many in the industry.  CRIA, which spent more than 15 years lobbying for the creation of the private copying levy, is now fighting to eliminate the application of the levy on the Apple iPod since it believes that the Copyright Board of Canada's recent decision to allow a proposed tariff on iPods to proceed "broadens the scope of the private copying exception to avoid making illegal file sharers liable for infringement."

The CRIA has come to the realization that they could actually be making the situation worse by imposing such a stupid needless tax.  You don't  fight piracy by making people pay for the stuff they are stealing.  If you've paid for it in advance, you aren't stealing it!  Further, you upset people who aren't stealing music.  That is what I said 7 months ago and I'm glad to see the CRIA has caught up to the program here.  Boy I love being right.

In truth, I think that the industry should embrace what Steve Jobs at Apple is doing.  Through an awesome online store, outstanding iPods and new buying mechanisms like WiFi purchases on the iPod Touch and the iPhone, and creative partnering like WiFi music buying in Starbucks, he's making it way more fun to buy music legally than to go and steal it!