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To the big disappointment of the music industry, the UK Government refused to promote at the EU level, the extension of the presently 50-year copyright term for performers.
According to the EU rules, the copyright period for song writers and their families covers their entire lives plus 70 years while performers and their producers benefit of a 50 year copyright period starting from the recording date.
UK Government considers that the majority of the performers would not benefit of the extension as most of them "have contractual relationship requiring their royalties be paid back to the record label." It also stated that such an extension would lead to the increase of costs for the industry and to the consumers.
The government took as argument a study of intellectual property rights in the UK made in December 2006 by Andrew Gowers. The report recommended against a previous request for copyright term extension considering UK did not suffer from a deficit in creativity due to a shorter copyright term as compared to the USA.
The Gowers report included a diagram showing an increased term would not necessarily be the best way of supporting artists. Few records generate royalties after 50 years and the chart shows a more effective method could be the re-evaluating of the recording contracts in favor of artists.
But John Kennedy, the head of IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry), complained: "Some of the greatest works of British music will soon be taken away from the artists who performed them and the companies that invested in them. Extending copyright term would promote vital investment in young talent and new music, all of which will help to secure the UK's future as an exciting music market."
UK rejects push for longer copyright in the EU (25.07.2007)
http://euobserver.com/9/24534/?rk=1
UK rejects music copyright extension (24.07.2007)
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSL2442476820070724
The UK Says No to Over 50 Year Music Copyright (24.07.2007)
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/24/the-uk-says-no-to-over-50-year-mu...
EDRI-gram: Copyright extension term rejected by EU commissioned report
(17.01.2007)
http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number5.1/copyright_term