(Toronto) On May 31, 2005 the Federal Court of Canada issued a judgment against Toronto-based Computer Warehouse Outlet Inc. (CWO) ordering the company to pay the levies owed to the Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC) on 398,400 blank CD-Rs. A 2004 audit by the CPCC revealed that the media were imported and distributed by CWO without adherence to the provisions of Part VIII of the Copyright Act. The Court also ordered CWO to pay the CPCC’s costs, as well as interest outstanding on the levies. This is the third time a company that evaded the levy has been ordered to pay the CPCC’s legal costs on the highest scale provided in the tariff of the Federal Court.

The private copying levy provides significant remuneration to songwriters, music publishers, recording artists and musicians, and record companies for the use of their work. The levy is derived from the private copying provisions of the Copyright Act implemented in 1998 in recognition of the fact that Canadians copy without authorization hundreds of millions of tracks of recorded music for their own private use.

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

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