Across Asia: Japan

Copyright fees to be levied

The Japanese government will propose this week a plan to charge copyright royalties on sales of iPods and other portable digital music players, as well as on digital hard disk recorders, a major daily newspaper reported yesterday.

The Agency of Cultural Affairs has not yet decided the amount of the fee, but it would likely be around 95 cents per device for an annual total about $9.5 million, according to the Asahi Shimbun. The proceeds would go to recording companies, songwriters and artists.