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Originally Posted by HansTWN
Is it working?
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By and large, as I've said.
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They decide now how to distribute the tax payers money to those artists that are in favor with the party currently ruling the country.
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That's actually not
quite how it works. It's pretty much self-governed by the industry, the state doesn't get involved very much, neither in the collection nor the distribution. It's a "tax" only inasmuch it is a pecuniary burden laid upon buyers of said media, an enforced contribution.
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If you are fine with that -- then you can say it is working. But don't you think the publishers are getting their share?
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I suppose they do, yes. There's a whole system of collecting societies. In turn it's perfectly legal to copy a few pages from a book, or even the whole book if it's out of print, rip my CDs to MP3s and share them with my friends, etc.
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I, personally, prefer not to pay a surcharge when I use a DVD, an SD card, or a USB stick to burn personal or business files.
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We are talking about cents here, literally. Even so, if you only use your media for stuff that's not covered by other people's rights you can get that back. Few people bother but it's possible. I suppose large companies do it.
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So, you are paying for a bloated bureaucracy that decides who gets your money.
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Again, not quite.
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How is that so much better?
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It's a blanket license for a lot of stuff that would otherwise be illegal.
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I don't live in Europe anymore and the prospect of such a system would horrify me
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Spoken like a true American. I take my hat off to you, sir.