France Planning Non-Windows Tablet Tax? 227
An anonymous reader writes "Lots of countries around the world have private copying 'levies,' which are effectively taxes on products that store data, which is put into a pool to be handed out to copyright holders, as a sort of payment for the 'copying' that individuals do. This was quite popular with blank CDRs, for example, but has been expanded in certain countries to cover hard drives, iPods and other such devices. Over in France, they're looking to expand the levy to tablet computers, but apparently if that tablet computer is running Microsoft Windows, it will be exempted from the tax. iPads and Android-powered tablets will have the tax. Why? Well, the argument is that if a tablet is running Windows, it's really a 'computer.' But if it's running one of those 'mobile' operating systems, suddenly it's a brand new category. Not surprisingly, makers of Android tablets — including the French company Archos — are not at all happy about this."
What is Apple's iPad OS? (Score:2, Insightful)
What is Apple's iPad OS?
That should matter here.
Those cheese eating surrender monkeys fail again (Score:5, Insightful)
So because it's a computer it's unable to distribute copyrighted materials? Now that is some pretty twisted logic right there.
And what the hell does a "clean operating system" mean?
From the Google translation of the French article:
"Windows 7 will not be affected by the fee for private copying, which by definition is adopted touch pads "provided with an operating system for mobile devices or a clean operating system".
Need a computer to do the copying (Score:3, Insightful)
Devices like the iPad are just holders and consumers of media. A Windows PC is the usual culprit when it comes to actually defeating copy protection and doing the duping. This seems bass ackwards to me as they should be taxing the computer, not that they should be taxing either.
From TFA comments (Score:4, Insightful)
"Good for microsoft. Legislation is an easier way to get rid of pesky competition than work is."
That's about right..... and no this isn't just an anti-MS slap. Lots of Megacorps do the same thing, like how McDonalds bought an exemption from the health insurance requirement. Don't play on an even field IF you can get lawmakers to give you special exemptions or favorable laws.
Not buying it (Score:4, Insightful)
This has the smell of something that's so moronic that (for real) it will never get very far.
That, and I'm sure makers of non-Windows devices will be exercising the EU court system like it's going out of style.
Re:Apple Tax (Score:5, Insightful)
So people have to pay an Apple Tax for owning a iPod XL (err, I mean iPad)? Yeah, I can live with that.
Until it extends to a product you wish to have.
Define Computer (Score:4, Insightful)
If you design a piece of hardware, capable of running Windows 7, but DOESN'T is it a computer? What if it runs Windows 7 in a VM on another OS?
I hate governments more each day.
Re:Apple Tax (Score:4, Insightful)
I am not too worried about that.
Yet.
You should think a little bit more about wishing for things like that. Every single thing you said "does not apply" to only means "does not apply today".
The voters get the government they deserve (Score:4, Insightful)
... even in France.
Re:Article Title (Score:4, Insightful)
Not to provoke further, but an I don't consider an iPad a 'real computer'. It's running the same OS as an iPhone.
I also wouldn't consider a tablet running Windows Mobile xx (or Windows Mobile CE) a real computer anymore than my phone (which is not a real computer).
If they are taxing iPads, they better be taxing Windows Mobile devices, along with Android devices. If they aren't taxing Windows 7 (XP/Vista) devices, then they shouldn't be taxing systems running Mac OSX or systems with whatever the Google operating system is called nor anything sold with Unix/Linux on it.
The tax is stupid, but as long as it follows the same rules across all platforms then people should be upset about that, not comparing iOS to Windows 7...
Of course, the linked article doesn't actually give versions of windows this applies to, which is an important point.So I assume this is just to start a flame war because someone said their iPad is not a real computer...