CPCC's David Basskin responds this week's private copying column in a Toronto Star letter to the editor. Basskin points to a CPCC-commissioned public opinion survey that found public support for the levy.
CPCC Responds to Private Copying Column
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Many people do not even know the levy exists. Among those who do, many support it because of the belief that the levy shields Canadians from lawsuits like the ones occurring in the US. I suspect that if you explicitly denied that protection under the levy, support would drop substantially.
Where does that bulk of the levy money come from though? It comes from computer based businesses that do not copy music.
Musicians get payed when you buy a CD – now that’s fair. To get payed when I burn photos to a CD is grossly unfair. To get paid when I copy music from my CD to my iPod is unfair – they’ve been paid already when I bought the CD. To get paid twice for the same piece of work is unfair.
Basskin comissioned a study that says just what he wants it to say – just like any good survey should. You should never comission a survey unless you know it will give precisely the answer you want. Survey people on a issue that they’re ingorant of the issues, and you’ll get distorted results.
For music to be treated in this way, when no other IP is treated in this way is unfair. Why not compensate Canadian software companies through a levy on computer sales to pay for pirated software? Because it’s bloody stupid to do so – people would just pirate software and Canadian software companies would go bust.