Brazilian bloggers charged copyright fees for embedding YouTube videos

Yet another example of what happens when antiquated laws meet technology and plain old greed:

Huge fuzz in Brazil’s blogosphere! Brazilian Performance Rights Agency ECAD, which stands for Brazil’s Central Bureau of Collection and Distribution, has sent messages to some Brazilian bloggers warning that they should pay copyright fees for embedding YouTube videos on their blogs or websites.

It takes seconds to start a blog with WordPress or Tumblr. Embedding a Youtube video onto a web page is as easy as cutting and pasting. A ten years old kid can effortlessly do it. In Brazil, the bloggers may be charged $200 monthly fee for embedding Youtube videos, even if Youtube Brasil already pays copyright fees.

Sounds like nonsense!? Astonishingly, according to absurd copyright laws in Brazil, the Central Bureau of Collection and Distribution is surprisingly correct in doing so.