Michael Geist - CRIA Wrote To PCH Committee To Support iPod Levy Weeks Before Telling Gov't Officials It Opposed It

CRIA Wrote To PCH Committee To Support iPod Levy Weeks Before Telling Gov't Officials It Opposed It

Wednesday March 02, 2011

Yesterday I blogged about how the Canadian Recording Industry Association has broken with creator groups and the Canadian Independent Music Association on the issue of an iPod levy. While the creator groups continue to express their support for the levy, CRIA's Graham Henderson told government officials on September 27, 2010 that he disagreed "with some creator groups who are advocating for an associated levy on digital media storage devices."

Sources have now provided a letter that CRIA sent to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on September 1, 2010, that took the opposite position. Henderson wrote:

"In the aftermath of my appearance before the Heritage Committee, we have been asked time and again for a clarification of what our position is on the extension of the private copying levy to digital audio recording devices such as an Apple iPod. It is unfortunate that this is the case because the statement I made about this at Committee was quite unequivocal and come directly from out website."

Henderson goes on to quote the website statement that states that "private copying levies can play a role in compensating creators when designed correctly" and that CRIA has "no issue with such levies when they are applied uniquely to private copies of legally obtained music." Three weeks later Henderson privately told government officials he opposed the extension of the levy.