Related link: http://rss.com.com/2100-1025_3-5121479.html

“In a ruling released Friday, copyright regulators in Canada said downloading copyrighted music from peer-to-peer networks appears to be legal under Canadian law but that uploading is still prohibited.

In the same decision, the Copyright Board of Canada imposed a government fee of as much as $25 on iPod-like MP3 players, putting the devices in the same category as audio tapes and blank CDs. The money collected from levies on “recording mediums” goes into a fund to pay musicians and songwriters for revenues lost from consumers’ personal copying. Manufacturers are responsible for paying the fees and often pass the cost on to consumers.

The peer-to-peer component of the decision was prompted by questions from consumer and entertainment groups about ambiguous elements of Canadian law. Previously, most analysts had said uploading was illegal but that downloading for personal use might be allowed.

‘As far as computer hard drives are concerned, we say that for the time being, it is still legal,’ said Claude Majeau, secretary general of the Copyright Board.”

Ok, so it’s a tax, not a fee. And I’m not sure why it’s legal “for the time being”, but I’ll take it.

Should I tidy up the house and put the kettle on for you?