New IFPI Boss Vows to Extend Recording Copyrights

JamesD_UK writes "John Kennedy, President and COO of Universal Music is to succeed Jay Berman as Chairman of the IFPI, the worldwide equivalent to the RIAA. Andrew Orlowski of The Register has written an article covering John Kennedy's views on copyright infringement and the public domain. Although Kennedy's thoughts on the former are predictable, he has vowed to fight hard to extend European recording copyrights past the current fifty year term. An extension of the European term to match the US would be particularly damaging to the public domain and efforts such as the Internet Archive as well as increasing the control that the recording industry holds over performers. For those interested, I run a small blog of articles regarding copyright recordings."

Comments

Where's a grassy knoll when you need one?

[stratjakt]

n/t

the best part about that article

[hype7]

is the Register's commentary about this quote by Kennedy:
"For 79p you've got a work of art that's like a Picasso, only one that's as close to the original as you can get," he said. [**]

the [**] equates to: Don't write to us - we'll find him a good earwax specialist.

Damn straight! :)

-- james

In a related story...

[archevis]

... Lee Harvey Oswald admits his mistake of popping the wrong John Kennedy.

It's All Leapfrog - and we're the suckers!!

[Nom du Keyboard]

New IFPI Boss Vows to Extend Recording Copyrights

This is all a stupid game of Leapfrog, taking us all as suckers for a ride. To wit:

1: Increase copyright lengths in the USA.
2: Claim Europe is out of step "with the world" because their copyrights are only 50 years now, instead of life + 75.
3: Increase European copyrights to exceed the "world standard".
4: Claim the USA is now "out of step with the world" because their copyrights aren't as long as the Eurpoean standard.
5: Demand increasing USA copyright terms to exceed European copyrights.
6: PROFIT!!!
7: Goto #1.

I believe whatever copyright existed when a work was created and released to the public should remain in force for that work, and expire on schedule. Clearly that copyright was sufficient to insprie the creation of that work at the time, which is the stated purpose of all copyrights!

You know, the more things get unfair, the less I'm worried about "stealing" music over the Internet. I would not take physical product from a store, but that's a very different thing.

HOWEVER, the music industry has very little to worry about from me because frankly just about nothing today is worth listening to.