http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_721008.html
Finnish taxi drivers to pay royalties for
backseat music
Finland's Supreme Court has ruled taxi drivers must pay royalty fees
if they play music in their car while a customer is in the backseat.
The order even applies to the radio.
A case, based on one driver's refusal to pay, is likely to set a
precedent for the 9,500 cab drivers in the country.
Under the ruling, a cab driver
in Finland must pay #14 annually for
playing music while
transporting a fare.
Lauri Luotonen, chairman of
the Helsinki Taxi Drivers' Association,
says the ruling is likely to
force most drivers to keep their radios off.
Recently, two Finnish churches
refused to pay royalties to the
country's copyright society
for the performance of Christmas hymns.
The congregations won their
case in a district court, but the society
has appealed.
