Japan's "iPod tax" Unlikely, Govt. Officials Say (AAPL, SNE)
Japanese government officials of the committee overhearing the request by the Japanese music industry to revise copyright law in order to charge royalties (a surcharge) on digital music players commented Wednesday that the opinion is so divided over the issue that its imposition is unlikely. Read on...
An article covering this news can be read here. Also I covered the background on what the media is dubbing the "iPod tax" in this post. The government seems to be showing concern over double or excessive charges against consumers. The committee finds itself in the middle of a battle between two powerful lobbies in an area and era of high-tech innovation. Apple (ticker: AAPL) in Japan has stated it isn't in a position to comment on the matter. Sony (ticker: SNE) is an obvious opponent of the "tax" and especially on the hardware side citing unfairness to consumers. Interestingly enough and this is true in the U.S. as well, many consumers are unknowingly paying extra for media and/or devices in order to compensate the artists. In Japan the fees on recording media and on CD and MD recording devices range between 2-3%.
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