Apple, Nokia, Motorola and other manufacturers of consumer electronic devices seem not to be prepared to discuss a European tax on sales of their devices.
This could mean customers purchasing iPods, iPhones, Macs and many more consumer electronic devices may soon have to fork out an extra tax on each purchase.
Such a tax - intended to compensate rights-holders against the impact of private copying by individuals - is already enforced in 22 out of the 27 European states. There are major differences between the levy applied between different states. CE companies have been fighting any attempt to impose a Europe-wide levy for many years, but things appear to have changed.
Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo and Motorola CEO Greg Brown are among the company signatories of a letter to the European Commission saying that they are willing to “explore new ways forward” in a dispute that has been in deadlock since the 1960s, reports the Financial Times.
Apple, Nokia and Motorola now reportedly say they would be willing to accept such surcharges, so long as they are set at the same level across Europe, the report suggests.
Contact Us
Digg
It's easy and free to get the latest news headlines, reviews and opinions straight to your email inbox. Sign up NOW to make sure you receive the latest Mac news, reviews and tutorials on your favourite topics.
Click here for the latest reader comments