Here the SGAE, the General Society of Authors, have created itself a fame of mafia and bloodsuckers. CDs have a piracy tax, that they wished to add to modems and hard-drives, to protect authors they ask money even for playing their own music, and in a modification to the internet law that may or may not become the new law they are granted the right to shut down any web of they country they find unfit or ban from internet anybody who shares more than ten files through any program.

And now they start to hunt blogs, as they are preparing suit against one for the comments posted against one of their members by readers, comments that some say where posted by him (nothing new for those people, who used a pair of people to film secretly a wedding with a hidden camera and then claim more than 43.000 euros for using music withouth paying them author rights) and that range from "ugly" to "bad singer", but that damages the guy's honor.

I suppose Spain isn't the only place with this kind of vampires, so, somebody knows of anything similar?

We have GEMA here which seems to be pretty similar. Basically, they earn money from every blank CD sold, from every song played on the radio and on concerts. In theory, this is to compensate the 'artists'.

Also similar (although not exactly the same): GEZ. That 'organization' receives a tax on TVs, radios and (recently added) also computers. In this case, we don't just have to pay a one-time tax, but a monthly fee just for owning any such device.

When there is money things like this always happen. I wouldn't find them so cynical if they money really went to artists, but just a few selected ones see something of it (and still, as they say, they are here to protect everybody, may they wish it or not).

And also they anti-piracy campaigns are not serious. Instead of saying that you should buy what you like to support what you like they say that piracy is run by mafias, and hint a relation with those mafias and peredasty along some myths mixed with facts trying to make people feel bad, but not convincing anyone.

Here in Belgium we got SABAM which is what you guys are referring to I think. It's meant to protect copyrights and garnish the royalties on music and other media. There was a row about them here a few months ago as they charged too much, charged for music from bands that weren't affiliated with Sabam and otherwise did things in a way that might be considered out-right theft. The authorities started a federal investigation about it but I think that is still ongoing at the moment. If I should hear more about the topic, I'll be sure to let you guys know.