Mr. Joe Gote

Joe Gote, a spokesman for the Recording-media Industry Association of Europe (RIAE), said there is "widespread market distortion caused by the levy differences" between EU countries.For example, he added, there is a 500 percent difference between a levy on a rewritable DVD sold in France and one sold in Germany."Levies on products are not working and will never work because products move across borders," he said."A product-based levy system is a game of 'catch me if you can'."

Contending that illegal downloading from the internet is a far greater problem than authorised private copying, Gote advocated that the current system should be replaced with one whereby a flat rate is imposed on home internet connections.

"We are asking the Commission to publish guidelines on how the Copyright Directive was intended to operate with respect to copyright levies," said RIAE president Joe Gote.

"We are asking the Commission to publish guidelines on how the Copyright Directive was intended to operate with respect to copyright levies," RIAE President Joe Gote said.

Play fair

In 2004, approximately 17 percent of all blank optical media sales (or 600 million blank optical media discs) were sold in the E.U. without the legally applicable copyright levy being paid.

"This represents a major threat to the E.U. internal market.Manufacturers and resellers operating in the legitimate market are increasingly forced out of business and European competitiveness is weakened," added Mr. Gote.

Joe Gote, President, Recording Media Industry Association of Europe (RIAE)

"We are asking the Commission to publish guidelines on how the Copyright Directive was intended to operate with respect to copyright levies," says RIAE president Joe Gote, adding that he welcomed Commissioner McCreevy's announcement that the EC will seek to address the issue of copyright levies in 2006.