[Previous entry: "Whistling in the dark"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Buncha things..."]

01/29/2003 Archived Entry: "Sick of spending my money for nothing"

Part 1:

Today I wrote my Canadian Federal Member of Parliament regarding the Recordable Media Levy that we are forced to pay on digital media to pay for piracy *-regardless of whether the CDs will be used to record copyrighted works-*:

Dear Mr. Cadman,

I'd like to draw your attention to an issue that has been bothering me (and I suspect a lot of other Canadians) regarding digital media (blank CDs, specifically). Since March 1998, I've been paying extra money on each blank CD I buy, which has gone to the Canadian Private Copying Collective (http://www.cpcc.ca).

I do, of course, understand the reasoning behind attempting to stop the piracy of copyrighted works in Canada and the world, but I do feel that I am being unfairly penalized for others actions. I use the CDs I buy for backups and distribution of things that I create (mostly photographs of beautiful British Columbia that I haven taken). I am also paying this fee on the 'flash' memory my digital camera uses to take these photographs.

According to recent estimates by the CPCC, over $28 million has been collected from people like me, who have done nothing wrong - and apparently none of it has been spread to the authors and performers the CPCC had promised to help (http://pcbuyersguide.com/hardware/storage/2003_Levy_FAQ.html#9).

Please help to stop this, or at least alter this process so it is fair to me and other digital media consumers. If you could get back to me on this issue at your convenience, I would very much appreciate it.

Thank you!

Greg Webster

Needless to say...when a private organization takes craploads of money for to give to copyright holders for the 'suffering' they have endured, and then none of the money actually makes it to those people, I get a little annoyed. I also CC'd it to a number of other people involved, hoping that they'll notice this as well.

Really, what I'd like is for the idea to be scrapped and refunds given to Canadian consumers, but I know that won't happen. One interesting thing I discovered while researching this is that if I let a friend of mine copy one of my CDs for HIS own PERSONAL use, it's perfectly legal. As long as I don't do the copying myself for HIS PERSONAL use, I am following the letter of the law perfectly.

Part 2:

I've been working for years, every two weeks paying extremely high rates to the various levels of government so they can provide me with this like: Employment Insurance in case I lose my job, health care, roads, police protection, etc.

Last month I lost my job and am still waiting to see if I qualify for EI - it's not a given...there are a number of circumstances that will prevent you from getting back any of the funds I pay in.
In BC, you have to pay a 'user fee' for basic health care - It's graded on how much income you have, but health care isn't free here...it's free in almost every other region in Canada, but not here.
The roads in my area are horrible...there are potholes bigger than my tires, and driving down King George highway )one block away from me) is like getting a free butt-massage for 3 miles or so.
The crime in my area is awful...we've recently had a rash of home invasions where someone has assulted old couples (and a quadrapelegic man) in their homes. I live a couple blocks from 'known' crack houses - one was recently shut down after 8 arrests by police over the last 14 months. A few block further on, addicts with the arm-twisting gyrations of heroin junkies meet with their Mercedes-driving dealers in front of the closest liquor store. All of that is right across the street from the police station.

Here in BC, we pay the second highest rate of income tax in Canada. We also have the second highest sales tax. I don't feel like I'm getting my monies worth.