Fucked up law.

All of you should be glad that you don`t live in sweden. I just read in the paper today that from July 1 there will be some extra taxes on a few selected items;

Dvd players with internal HD, about 130 dollars extra.
Dvd-r and dvd-rw, 15-20 dollars extra for a 10-pack.
Mp3 players, depending on how many Mb, but 60Gb would cost about 30 dollars extra.

The money will go to the music and movie industry.

Is that crazy or what? I really regreat that I haven`t downloaded more than I have. But starting now I will NEVER buy a single cd, dvd or video game. I will dowload out of spite even if I don`t like the artist/movie.

[slackerbot]

that's insane!

i believe Canadians have to pay an extra "tax" on blank CDR and DVDR media also.

[-minus_one]

Originally posted by slackerbot
that's insane!

i believe Canadians have to pay an extra "tax" on blank CDR and DVDR media also.
yah, thats right, i can't recall how much it is though.

[onomatoPia]

I'm not sure where you were a couple of weeks ago when the legislation was passed in Sweden, but these taxes are just one part of the new piracy crackdown there - as of July 1st it will be illegal to download music over the internet there.

So in effect you could wind up paying a whole heap more than the money you save on the taxes, in damages.

http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=1496&date=20050526

Originally posted by onomatoPia
I'm not sure where you were a couple of weeks ago when the legislation was passed in Sweden, but these taxes are just one part of the new piracy crackdown there - as of July 1st it will be illegal to download music over the internet there.

So in effect you could wind up paying a whole heap more than the money you save on the taxes, in damages.

http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=1496&date=20050526

That one depends on a few on going cases, if they only end up paying a fine it`s ok because the police can`t get a warrant to search your house then. It would be strange if they had to go to jail for something like this.

how long before this reaches the states, i wonder.

[ja.net]

Lars, you should post your music requests and we'll help you get stuff. This is bullshit.

it's retarded though, technology is to the point where they could password protect the music.

the cd/file would have a code built into it.

apple does it.

the original purchaser would be responsible.

[slackerbot]

eventually. since it's obvious the gov and RIAA can't eliminate piracy and "sharing", i'm pretty sure we'll be seeing similar taxes.

so punishing the innocent and the guilty?

figures.

[Ryan]

i wonder what percentage of the taxes will be going back to the music industry..i mean if it does how can that be considered tax?

well i guess it sucks either way

Originally posted by Ryan
i wonder what percentage of the taxes will be going back to the music industry..i mean if it does how can that be considered tax?

well i guess it sucks either way

Ah, I don`t know if it is really a "tax", my english isn`t good enough to discus these things.
After what I have read, most of it will go to the music/movie industry.
I don`t know how they will devide the money though. The organization that is pushing this issue is payed off by the swedish movie and music industry. But I have a REALLY hard time beliving that any of the swedish moviemakers/artists are feeling any large impact from the ileagal dowloads. So are they going to send the money over to american companies?

Thank you janet for offering to help me find music, I`m pretty sure the ftp:s aren`t going to go down so easy though so I should be ok.

[onomatoPia]

Originally posted by Lars
But I have a REALLY hard time beliving that any of the swedish moviemakers/artists are feeling any large impact from the ileagal dowloads.


I read that 15million films were downloaded in Sweden last year. Not bad for a country with a population of nine million. How's the local film industry going just out of interest?

Here's an excerpt from an ft.com story. I can't seem to find the original online, which I assume is now in the ft.com archive. I note it does cite the author and original publication (http://www.usablogg.org/sverige/sweden-becomes-a-piracy-battlefield.htm).

"What distinguishes Sweden is the scale of the problem. Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia have one of the highest penetrations of broadband Internet access in the world, enabling private users to download entire feature films in minutes. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry estimates that 77% of 15-to-25-year-olds who have broadband connections at home are involved. Not surprisingly, sales of CDs in Sweden fell 18% in 2004, the sharpest drop in Western Europe".


And here's an IHT story from 15/5/05 on why Sweden is a paradise for pirates (http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/05/15/business/pirates16.php).

Here's another recent story about Swedish artists rallying together to fight what they perceive to be a major problem - but which most people there (as elsewhere) would appear to believe is a God-given right (http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=1295&date=20050418).

"We do not want to be robbed," they said in the letter, which was distributed by the Swedish branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). "Downloading music, films, books and computer programmes without paying for them is on the verge of becoming politically correct," they said.

[Malosi]

rob them more!

Originally posted by onomatoPia



I read that 15million films were downloaded in Sweden last year. Not bad for a country with a population of nine million. How's the local film industry going just out of interest?

Here's an excerpt from an ft.com story. I can't seem to find the original online, which I assume is now in the ft.com archive. I note it does cite the author and original publication (http://www.usablogg.org/sverige/sweden-becomes-a-piracy-battlefield.htm).

"What distinguishes Sweden is the scale of the problem. Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia have one of the highest penetrations of broadband Internet access in the world, enabling private users to download entire feature films in minutes. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry estimates that 77% of 15-to-25-year-olds who have broadband connections at home are involved. Not surprisingly, sales of CDs in Sweden fell 18% in 2004, the sharpest drop in Western Europe".


And here's an IHT story from 15/5/05 on why Sweden is a paradise for pirates (http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/05/15/business/pirates16.php).

Here's another recent story about Swedish artists rallying together to fight what they perceive to be a major problem - but which most people there (as elsewhere) would appear to believe is a God-given right (http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=1295&date=20050418).

"We do not want to be robbed," they said in the letter, which was distributed by the Swedish branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). "Downloading music, films, books and computer programmes without paying for them is on the verge of becoming politically correct," they said.

The swedish movie industry is doing ok. Most people download american movies.

About the 18% drop in record sales.. The record companies tried to counter act the falling record sales by raising the price of cd`s by almost $6, making even more people download.

I think many people feel that entertainment is overpriced, 5-6 dollars to rent a movie for ONE night??! $25-26 for a cd, about the same for a dvd, if not more.

And about the "artists" that spoke out, oh please...

[onomatoPia]

The great irony here is of course that you can walk into any - Swedish-owned - H&M store in one of the four corners of the retail world, and pick up a knockoff of the latest hot look from Prada, Marc Jacobs et al at a bargain basement price.

[onomatoPia]

From the International Herald Tribune link I posted earlier on:

"The reasons for the Swedish situation are manifold. One is the high levels of computer and technology literacy. Since 1998, the government has subsidized the purchase of personal computers for private use".

How does this work Lars? And, pending your answer of course, how can Swedes complain about the price of CDs and DVDs when they are - apparently - paying less in the first place for the computers on which to download material?

http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/cycle.gif

Originally posted by onomatoPia
From the International Herald Tribune link I posted earlier on:

"The reasons for the Swedish situation are manifold. One is the high levels of computer and technology literacy. Since 1998, the government has subsidized the purchase of personal computers for private use".

How does this work Lars? And, pending your answer of course, how can Swedes complain about the price of CDs and DVDs when they are - apparently - paying less in the first place for the computers on which to download material?

Some of the larger companies offered these subsidized computers to their employees, but far from everyone had a chance to get them. It`s not like we have a shop discount..

[FDM]

Originally posted by onomatoPia
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry

that's badass.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/phono1.jpg

[onomatoPia]

http://www.abbanow.co.uk/graphics%5Cmirgedgroup.gif


I think the Swedish government needs to get its priorities in order and start taxing the Abba tribute bands. Australia's Bjorn Again made A$4.5million in 2004 according to BRW magazine.