(Toronto) The Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC) has asked the Canadian Copyright Board to extend the private copying tariff for another year to cover 2005. “We have filed to extend the tariff set by the Copyright Board last December for another year,” commented Claudette Fortier, Chair of the Board of Directors for the CPCC. “Given the timelines, it was impractical to file a new tariff and as a result we are seeking an extension.” Under the Copyright Act, CPCC had until 31 March 2004, to file a proposed tariff for 2005.

The Copyright Board’s decision in December 2003 held existing private copying levies at their 2002 levels for the years 2003 and 2004. If approved, CPCC’s proposed tariff would see these 2002 levels continue next year. As a result, the current levies of 29¢ on audio cassette tapes of 40 minutes or longer (no levy applies to tapes of shorter length), 21¢ on CD-Rs and CD-RWs and 77¢ on CD-R Audio, CD-RW Audio and MiniDiscs will remain in effect until the end of 2005. In December, the Copyright Board extended the levy to include non-removable memory permanently embedded in digital audio recorders (such as MP3 players) at $2 for each recorder with a memory capacity of up to 1 Gigabyte (Gb), $15 for each recorder with memory capacity of more than 1 Gb and up to 10 Gbs, and $25 for each recorder with memory capacity of more than 10 GBs. Under CPCC’s proposal, these rates would also apply in 2005.

The private copying law came into effect in 1998 in recognition of the increasing number of Canadians who were making unauthorized copies of music for their own personal use. The levy was put in place to ensure that the rights holders of recorded music receive some compensation for the use of their works. The first private copying tariff to be approved under the new law came into effect in December of 1999.

The Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC) is a non-profit agency charged with collecting and distributing private copying royalties. Established in 1999, CPCC is a collective of collectives that represent authors, composers, music publishers, artists and record companies.

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For more information contact: Catherine Allman or Julie Wright
hawkestone communications – public affairs
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