Free Software Guru Recommends Internet Tax as Means to End p2p Controversy

[p2p rules]

Through most of the moves the entertainment industry has made so far in trying to reconcile artists and the digital era it only demonstrated ill-will and refuse to open its ears to anything that challenged its warm, self-secured place and well-established way to make money. However, perhaps if the number of voices (especially those with some weight in the internet world and music business) assaulting these ears increases than they'll have no choice but to listen.

Richard Stallman, an American software freedom activist and computer programmer who initiated the free software movement in 1983 with the launch of the GNU Project and later, in October 1985, founded the Free Software Foundation has called for everyone to end the file sharing issue. He also suggested ways for the entertainment industry to keep making profit without hunting file sharers for it.

In a speech at the World Computer Congress in Brisbane earlier this week Stallman (probably the most important author of the most widely, used software license – GNU General Public License) said that the current copyright system only brings authors and artists a small fraction of revenue which their work generates.

"The current system does a very bad job. So, I've proposed two methods of (supporting artists). One is the government can collect taxes. It can have a special tax on internet connectivity or perhaps use a little bit of general revenue and distribute this money solely to the authors and artists based on their popularity but not in linear proportion to their popularity," said Mr Stallman.

Since his belief in supporting artists and authors is not compromised by the belief that war against file shares must be stopped. In his opinion governments should introduce a new tax system that would help support artists. The government would then distribute revenue to artists depending on their popularity. This means that “fairly successful” artists would still get an adequate support through the scheme.

As many other voices have pointed out and bands like Radiohead or NIN have proved, Stallman believes that using a donation system through which fans can easily support the artists they like can really work for both parts especially since he also thinks musicians are “not entitled” to compensation from listeners.

"A lot of people will push that button because it feels good to support the artist," he stressed out.

p2pon

[DaBees-Knees]

The problem with the tax idea is that it doesn't really vary from any other isp based additional charge that has already been suggested. The flaw with the idea is that it charges everyone regardless of wether they download music/films or not. Why should these people be charged an additional tax for something that they don't even use? Most people would go along with the idea that internet users who make money out of what they download are fair game and that they should be caught and charged accordingly. Where opinions diverge is when someone downloads something for their private use and to check if they like the what they have downloaded. I won't go in to the argument about music  that's not readily available from the cartels catalogues, but can be obtained from private users.