At present UK copyright in a literary, musical, artistic or dramatic work lasts for 70 years after the death of the author, while sound recordings and broadcasts are protected for 50 years after the year of publication.
This means that the sound recording copyright owned by record companies in major sixties hits by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones has less than 10 years to run – 40 years less than would apply if the US copyright laws were applicable in this country.
According to the Sunday Times, the government is considering a change in the system, on the basis that an extension would raise more money for the music industry, which can be ploughed back into new talent.
But the proposals have upset some artists and lobby groups.
According to European Digital Rights, such an extension would cause a “direct loss for creative artists who would like to sample and remix fragments of classic songs without having to pay royalties, and for academics who maintain web sites of out-of-copyright recordings of traditional music for study purposes.”
Other commentators suggest that the extension would result in the creation of many “orphan works” – creative works still covered by the copyright term, but no longer publicly available – as has happened in the US.