It looks like the proposed tax on iPods to support musicians has finally been put to rest:

Last summer, music industry officials, retailers and consumers all debated the merits of the Copyright Board of Canada’s tentative decision to place a levy on iPod’s and other MP3 players ‚Äì a tariff that depending on the amount of internal memory could be worth up to $75 per device.

On Thursday, that levy was effectively killed by the Federal Court of Appeal, says copyright lawyer Howard Knopf. Although the decision can still be appealed, Mr. Knopf, who representated the Retail Council of Canada as well as Apple Canada et. al, says that the court took only 24 hours to decide the Copyright Board had no legal authority to certify a levy.

“The Applicants were awarded their costs. The reasons are very brief. The Court was very decisive,” Mr. Knopf said.

This is one idea that should stay dead and buried.