Ars Technica Newsdesk
Posted 12/3/2002 - 5:06PM, by johnnyace
Thanks to Greg for sending this in. A Finnish court has ruled that taxi drivers are responsible for 'public performance' fees if their taxis are occupied by a paying customer. News.com.au has the straight dope. Under the ruling, a cab driver in Finland must pay 22 euros (about $40) annually for playing music while transporting a fare. "The sum is fairly small ... but, of course, higher expenses result in higher prices for customers," said Nina Nizovsky of the Finnish Taxi Association, the country's taxi driver union.
Part of the attraction of radio is that it is a 'free medium' to enjoy, if not participate in. This fight has been going on since 1997! Part of what strikes me as obscene is that there is no way to enforce this law fairly. As a result, all taxi drivers are required to pay the royalty fees. Regardless of the income lost *cough* by public performance of radio material in taxi cabs, charging those drivers who don't indulge seems a bit heavy handed. Here's a tip for all you Finnish cabbies out there: [Change State - Radio | Status: Off]
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