(Toronto) – On Friday December 5th the Copyright Board of Canada issued the Private Copying Tariff 2008-2009. The Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC), the organization that collects and distributes the levy, is pleased that the new tariff has been issued and that the Board confirmed the levy rates proposed by the CPCC.

Effective immediately, the new levy rate on all types of blank CDs and MiniDiscs is $0.29. The levy rate on audio cassettes remains the same at $0.24.

“The CPCC applauds the Board’s decision to increase the levy rates,” stated Annie Morin, Chair of the CPCC Board of Directors. “The levy rates have not been increased since 2001. The levy is an important source of revenue for rights holders and this increase recognizes the value of private copies to Canadians. In this age of arts cuts and economic recession, it is of even more importance that rights holders receive the compensation to which they are entitled.”

The CPCC is the non-profit agency that collects the private copying royalty and distributes it to its member collectives, which represent song writers, composers, music publishers, recordingartists, musicians and record companies.

The Private Copying Tariff 2008-2009 and Decision of the Board can be found on the Copyright Board’s web site (http://www.cb-cda.gc.ca).

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For more information contact:
Alison Thompson
CPCC
tel. (416) 486-6832, ex. 221
email: [email protected]