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Memory cards commonly found in mobile phones will be exempt from a consumer fee designed to reimburse copyright holders.

Industry Minister Christian Paradis said Tuesday the government won't impose levies of microSD memory cards, which are regularly used to house music and other files including photos on mobile devices. Paradis is set to request the regulations be introduced this fall.

Canadian consumers, however, will still be required to pay a fee to use CDs and cassettes to record music and those funds will be distributed to music rights holders.

Paradis said the government is "striking the right balance" between the rights of the consumer and the rights of content creators.

"This is frankly good news for consumers," he said, citing the technology is becoming more and more popular.

The Canadian Private Copying Collective, an industry group responsible for collecting levies and delivering them to copyright holders, suggested the fee should be applied to memory cards as well.

Kristy.Kirkup@sunmedia.ca

On Twitter: @kkirkup