There’s perhaps no other US company more tied to legal cases of copyright than Apple, and now their legal woes are extending to the international stage. A Paris court ruled Apple must pay 5 million euros in copyright fees they collected relating to iPad sales during 2011.
The decision comes at a time when France is flooded with debate concerning whether the country should impose newly implemented cultural taxes related to connecting devices. The newly implemented cultural tax would be considered a method of subsidizing various artists.
It remains to be seen whether Apple will be forced to comply with the recent Paris ruling. The announcement, first issued by Copie France, was never backed by full Grand Tribunal authority to impose such fees. Financial analysts have described the price tag of 5 million euros as a ‘drop in the bucket’ for Apple but an important victory for the copyright community.
Of Interest:
The decision arrives at an interesting time for France, the country notorious for coming down hard on piracy electing to soften their stance. Current violators of copyright laws are removed from the Internet altogether under a system of laws referred to as Hadopi.