Canadian Writers Guild Wants 'You Must Be A Criminal' Tax On Both Distribution And Storage Of Content

from the well-that's-sensible dept

Canada has long had a blank media levy on things like blank CDs, which is a sort of "you must be a criminal" tax on things. Of course, what it really does is drive down the usage of blank CDs by making them ridiculously expensive -- such that, in some cases, it accounts for 90% of the price of a blank CD. There have been failed efforts to extend such a levy to things like iPods, and Michael Geist alerts us to the news that the Writers Guild of Canada is proposing extending levies to all distribution and storage -- including things like DVRs. Yes, because when you time shift that TV program, you're a thief and should have to pay extra for it. Beyond just being a "you must be a criminal" tax, this really seems like a way of double, triple or quadruple charging people for the same media. Say you buy a song on iTunes, which you've paid for. But then you also need to pay the levy to the ISP for distribution. So now you've paid twice. But then you need to pay a levy for your hard drive to store it. So that's three times. Oh, and then another levy on your iPod to transfer the song to that. So you've paid four times for the same song. That makes so much sense, doesn't it?

Filed Under: blank media, canada, levies, storage, writers guild
Companies: writers guild of canada

Canadian Writers Guild Demanding ISPs Pay For Content Creation; Pissing Off Members

from the it-doesn't-work dept

Mark K. sent this in a week or so ago, but I'm just getting to it now. Apparently, Ryan Sohmer, an author of a popular webcomic called Least I Could Do, is pretty pissed off at the Writers' Guild of Canada, of which he's a member, which is supposed to be looking out for his best interests -- but is not. Specifically, it appears that the WGC is pushing for a proposal that would demand ISPs pay content creators for new content produced in Canada. It's sort of the equivalent of the recording industry's desire to put in place an ISP music tax, but for screenwriters for TV and movie content. On top of that, it has a nationalistic bent, that would limit certain foreign content from reaching Canadians in a ridiculous attempt to "promote" made-in-Canada content.

Sohmer points out why he felt forced to join the WGC against his better interest (he needed to in order to work on certain projects) and had mostly ignored them until they decided to push this dreadful idea for regulation. As he notes, what the WGC is trying to do is turn the internet into a version of television, with limited choices and strict regulation on content. He points out how disastrous this would be:

As someone who's been struggling with the television system for the last 3 years, I can tell you very explicitly: it simply doesn't work. It hampers talent, overpays "producers" while taking money out of the real talent budget and you inevitably end up with a watered down excuse for entertainment.

Why anyone would want to re-create the television industry is beyond me. That makes about as much sense as publishing a new newspaper these days, or putting together a new terrestrial radio station.

Say what you will about the web, and there is much to be said, it breeds innovation. The reason for that is because it's non-regulated, because an ass like me can produce whatever he likes, however he likes in an effort to entertain others. The majority of the things we try don't/won't/shouldn't work, but if 1 out of every 100 projects works, that's a success.

You simply can't do that in the traditional media system. It won't let you.

We see it time and time again. The organizations who benefited from the "way things used to be" will almost always work to force any new and innovative platform to be restricted, legally, to force a similar structure. Remember the laws that got passed when automobiles first came around that required people to walk in front of them waving red flags? Yup. The WGC's proposal seems pretty similar.

Filed Under: canada, isps, paying, regulations, writers guild