By Chris Williams for The Register.
This story has been reproduced with permission.
Though the Review's opinion is not neccessarily binding on the
government, it will be a blow to the recording industry which had
been lobbying to extend the term to 95 years – the same as in
the US.
The BBC said late last night that former
Financial Times editor Gowers will recommend the
current term remains when he delivers his Review next week
alongside the Chancellor's pre-budget report.
At the Economist's annual Innovation Summit earlier this month,
Gowers said the decision over copyright extension should be framed
in terms of whether it fosters creativity. The BPI and others
including high profile recording artists like Cliff Richard and
Mick Hucknall had argued term extension would be vital to the
industry's ability to bring on new acts and would act as a pension
scheme for retired musicians.
Nacsent UK digital rights organisation the Open Rights Group
campaigned against extension, asserting it would mostly benefit the
four major labels. Influential liberal-leaning thinktank the
Institute for Public Policy Research said in its recent
report on copyright: "We have not seen any evidence to suggest
that current protections provided in law are insufficient. We feel
that to extend terms any further than their current length is
economically illogical and anti-competitive."
The British Library meanwhile said term extension would render
nearly all of the UK's audio history into copyright and jeopardise
its ability to preserve the national sound heritage.
The independent Gowers review was commissioned around this time
last year to examine a host of intellectual property-related issues
as the Treasury seeks to encourage a "knowledge-based economy".
© The Register
2006
