Heritage Minister James Moore listens to his iPod in November, 2008.
Heritage Minister James Moore is not opposed to discussing a levy on MP3 players, but says no group has ever come forward with a detailed proposal on how it would work.
Mr. Moore has been lobbied over the last week by some of the biggest names in the Canadian television, film and music industry to apply a levy to MP3 players in the same way a levy is currently applied to blank CDs and cassettes.
The levy, charged as compensation for material that is privately copied, is then doled out by a collective in the form of royalties.
On Thursday, an A-to-Z of Canadian music stars - including Anne Murray, Nickelback's Chad Kroeger, and members of the Tragically Hip - wrote to Mr. Moore and Industry Minister Tony Clement pressing the issue.
Their letter appeared the same day the ministers testified before a House of Commons committee on Bill C-32, proposing changes to the Copyright Act.
"MP3 players are this generation's version of blank media. A copy is a copy and the principle of fair compensation for rights holders should apply whether the copy is made onto blank media or MP3 players," the artists wrote.
"We know that you do not want to see a Canada that is devoid of musicians and songwriters, but without fair and balanced treatment, that may be the tragic consequence."
But Mr. Moore says the issue of a levy is not even dealt with in Bill C-32.
A separate private member's bill put forward by the NDP refers to a levy on an "audio recording device," which could apply to a wide range of products, including telephones and laptops.
ACTRA, Canada's actors union, has lobbied for a levy on "recordable digital devices."
Such broad definitions don't sit well with Mr. Moore, who calls it a "scattered approach" that would slap a massive tax on consumers.
"We started our consultation on copyright a year and half ago. They have yet to come forward with actual language for legislation and a proposal. They've never done that," Mr. Moore told The Canadian Press on Thursday.
"They're making a lot of noise about this. But frankly they're not making sense, and they're not actually coming forward with an actual proposal."
Mr. Moore says the government in the past has suggested the Commons heritage committee take an in-depth look at the levy system, and they're still welcome to do that.
He underlines that placing a levy on copied music is complicated. Canadians aren't just buying MP3s these days, but are also streaming music onto their phones and players. Whether a levy would also apply to videos is another thorny issue.
"I don't know how a tax on these things would be legally implemented and would work," said Mr. Moore.
"So when we did our consultations, there was a lot of noise about having some kind of a levy or a modernization of the copyright levy. But nobody has actually put pen to paper and put forward a proposal that works."
Bill C-32 makes it legal for Canadians to copy music for personal use, although it has been criticized in some quarters for making it illegal for an individual to pick a digital lock imposed by rights holders.
The Liberals, who struggled themselves while in government to modernize the Copyright Act, signalled they're prepared to support the bill.
Other artists who attached their names to the letter to Mr. Moore and Mr. Clement include Stompin' Tom Connors, Tom Cochrane, Lawrence Gowan, Metric, Hedley, Sarah Harmer, Kathleen Edwards and Hawksley Workman.
The letter was co-ordinated by the Canadian Private Copying Collective, the organization that takes in existing levies and hands out royalties to singers, songwriters, producers and record companies.