The move follows the lead of most European countries, which
charge a levy on goods likely to be used to copy music or films or
other copyrighted works. Though the UK bans all copying, most
European countries permit copying for personal use and use the levy
as a way to reimburse copyright holders.
Last week the Spanish Congress voted to place a tax on blank
CDs, DVDs and even flash memory sticks, according to Spanish news
site Typicallyspanish.com. The move came as part of an overall
reform of intellectual property reforms, said the site.
In recognition that many of the products levied will be used for
other purposes, the levy is usually extremely small, and it has not
commonly spread to items such as hard disks or internet
connections, which are commonly used to pirate copyrighted
material.
The European Commission warned earlier this month that a spread
of such levies into digital goods and services could damage
consumers and provoke resentment. The warning came in a
consultation document issued by the Commission as part of an
attempt to change the levies to suit the digital world.
"[In the digital media world] it would no longer be possible to
hold only liable the manufacturers or importers of equipment and
media," said the Commission's consultation document. "The logic of
levies would also have to be applied to broadband and
infrastructure service providers including telecommunications
providers that carry content."
"If this were to happen, levies would proliferate and there
would be a serious risk of a backlash against the rights holder
community and consumer welfare," it said.
