Copyright Nazis strike again: now they want truckers to pay for listening to plain old radio

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/03/27/0115248/SABAM-Wants-Truckers-To-Pay-For-Listening-To-Radio

SABAM, the Belgian RIAA, wants truckers to start paying for the copyrights to listen to the radio in their cabin (Google translation of Dutch original). SABAM already has a system in place to extract fees from businesses for having radios in the work area for businesses with more than 9 employees, and they find that truckers' cabins are areas of work and thus infringe on their copyrights. The local politicians think this is going too far; they believe truckers need a radio for safety reasons and view a truck cabin as 'an intimate place.'

[dems_rightnow]

1. In the U.S. that would never fly.

I doubt Dutch law is insane either, but do not know.

[opihimoimoi]

2. Thats over the TOP...never happen unless the brown shirts win...:o(

[1monster]

3. The RIAA already collects a fee for each recording played on radio stations.

Where does it get off? And just how much of the fees would be paid to the artists and songwriters? My guess is nada.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. "Kink ready nonsense"

I couldn't have put it better myself. Sometimes, Google Translate gets it just right.

[Modern_Matthew]

5. I long for the eradication of intellectual property and copyright laws. nt

[WinkyDink]

6. "EU" or "Belgium" in thread title would help.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

7. The particular place in which a particular act of douchebaggery happens is of secondary importance.

[jeff47]

8. Except that whether or not such douchebaggery is possible depends greatly on the local laws. (nt)