Brussels, 27/03/2008 (Agence Europe) - The Open Rights Group, which campaigns for the rights of UK citizens in the digital environment, has launched a petition against the European Commission's proposal to extend the term of intellectual property rights, enjoyed by recording artists, from 50 to 95 years (see EUROPE 9602). It is critical of a measure which would be of greatest benefit to the major labels, allowing them to continue to make small profits on the few recordings still commercially attractive after half a century. Moreover, the planned measure would discourage innovation and would be prejudicial to the public's access to its cultural heritage.
To back its stance, the group uses two reports which oppose extending the period of copyright and neighbouring rights. In a report to the European Commission in 2005, the Institute for the Right to Information of the University of Amsterdam said that extending copyright would reinforce and, in all probability, extend the domination of the four major music labels over the market. Noting that a music producer's return on investment occurred in the first few years after recording, it doubted whether any extension would increase profits if the 50 years' protection had not managed to do so. The argument that extending copyright and neighbouring rights would allow old recordings to be given a new lease of life is also shown for what it is worth by the fact that new electronic distribution currently does nothing in this area. The Centre for Intellectual Property of Cambridge University also found that the retrospective extension of copyright and neighbouring rights would have no impact on artistic creation in the United Kingdom. Furthermore, it calculated that the increase in revenue for the industry could be lower than the additional costs that consumers would have to bear. The petition and both reports can be viewed at: http: //www/soundcopyright.eu/en/home (M.B.)