Peter Ollier, London

UK Culture Secretary Andy Burnham has announced a U-turn in the government’s policy on extending the copyright term for sound recordings.Speaking at the UK Music Creators' Conference in London, Burnham proposed an extension from 50 to 70 years, saying: “There is a moral case for performers benefiting from their work throughout their entire lifetime.”

The announcement comes as the EU considers an extension to 95 years that the UK had previously opposed. In a speech made on Thursday December 11, EU commissioner for Internal Markets and Services Charlie McCreevy reiterated the EU’s commitment to a 95-year term as part of a series of proposals to improve performers’ rights.

In July 2007 the UK government rejected a parliamentary recommendation that it press for the copyright term to be extended to 70 years, stating that Gowers Review of intellectual property in the UK and an independent report commissioned by the European Commission had recommended that the copyright term should not be extended.

Feargal Sharkey, former lead singer for the band The Undertones and now CEO of UK Music, welcomed the announcement: “At this critical time of change, the creative industries have never been more vital to this nation's future prosperity,” he said. Sharkey added that the announcement demonstrates a commitment by the government to “ensuring that UK music retains its status as the very best in the world”.

But the Open Rights Group, an organisation that protects digital rights, has criticised the proposals. It claims that the majority of performers could gain as little as 50 cents per year from the proposed extension and that artists could receive less in royalties because payments will be transferred to the estates of dead performers.

From:www.managingip.com