Canada hikes mp3 player prices
As of today, mp3 players with non-removable memory such as Apple’s iPod will cost more in Canada.
The hike is the result of a decision by the Copyright Board of Canada and is payable, "on account of memory (semiconductor, micro hard drive) permanently embedded into a ‘digital audio recorder’," defined as a ‘device that is designed, manufactured and advertised for the purpose of copying sound recordings of musical works’.
The levy amounts to $2 per device for up to 1 gig of memory, $15 for 1-10 and $25 over 10.
Tariffs on CDs, audio-cassettes and mini-discs will, however, remain as they were, and a demand from the Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC) for levies on blank DVDs, removable memory cards and micro hard drives was turned down.
The levy on audio-cassettes is 29 cents; CD-R and CD-RW, 21 cents; and, CD-R Audio, CD-RW Audio and Minidisc, 77 cents.
