(Telecompaper) The EU Court of Justice (ECJ) has once again ruled against the digital levy imposed by Spain to compensate copyright owners for private copies. Although the previous tax on digital reproduction devices and supports was annulled by the Spanish government in 2012, to be replaced by a system whereby copyright holders received "fair compensation" direct from public budgets, the ECJ has now ruled the system to be contrary to EU law because it fails to distinguish between private citizens and businesses. The scheme does not "guarantee that the cost of the fair compensation is ultimately borne by the users of private copies," said the ECJ in its ruling. Spain's Supreme Court had asked the ECJ for its opinion after intellectual property rights collecting societies asked for the Spanish system to be abolished.