EU Record Companies Push to Extend Copyright

TPIRman writes "European record companies, as represented by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, are pressuring the European Union to extend copyright terms for music producers. Critics like Creative Commons founder Lawrence Lessig are predictably opposed, but the IFPI argues that the move is needed in order to bring the E.U. in sync with U.S. copyright regulations. Ironically, one of the original rationales behind the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act was that U.S. copyrights needed to sync up with European standards."

Comments

This is the last thing we need

[specialbrad]

This is the last thing we need. Syncing up european and american copyright laws is not a reason to change laws. Laws should be passed to serve the people, not to follow others. I hope this doesn't happen.

Poor Mickey

[Kaorimoch]

Why bother coming back every 50 years when Mickey Mouse is about to expire and slapping another 50 years onto copyright terms?

Why not just make it 50 billion years and save Mickey Mouse from exploitation forever?

Re:Poor Mickey

[Uruk]

Yeah really. Check out this comment from the article:

"From a cultural point of view, we find it strange that European artists are protected more in the U.S. than they are back home," she said.

Let me summarize: "But Mom, he's doing it, so why can't I do it too!!!"

They continue with this line of reasoning:

"We feel there is real discrimination here," Cunningham said. "Record companies in the U.S., their assets are valued much more highly because they have a much longer term of (copyright) protection....

This is like a 13-year old screaming "this is so unfair".

Nobody is revisiting the underlying arguments for extending copyright protection past its usual lifetime. They see this as a business argument to be settled about competition and profitability.

The EFF need to get in there and make sure that at least some relevant questions are being asked. Like what the purpose of copyright in the first place is, and how a proposed extension either supports or undermines that purpose.

And here's your mom's comeback for the "but he's doing it too" teenager whine:

Hey Europe, if all of your friends were jumping off of a bridge, would you do it too?

Why...

[jwthompson2]

Do all nation's laws need to be in sync? Is it possible that one nation has made a grave error and that others should avoid doing the same? Why does our whole world now have a bad case of "keeping up with the Jones'" in relation to legal matters. We all have our own governments, why can't they seem to think independently anymore and make better decisions....

Damn globalization!

Write to them

[jgritz]

The guy in the UK pushing this is James Purnell. If you live in the UK you should write to him.

In other news...

[erroneus]

I am pushing to have unemployment benefits extended until 50 years after I die. Not only do I want to get paid for doing nothing now, but for at least 50 years after I have died so that my beneficiaries can also get paid for doing nothing.

Later I will be lobbying for an extension to that extension... in about 40 years from now.

Re:Abolishing copyright

[Uruk]

Let's take a look at the weaponry on either side of the Copyright debate:

Copyright Holders

• Billions of dollars
• Coordinated world wide organizations of thousands of people working towards making money off of copyrighted material
• Government lobbyists
• Political Action committees
• Campaign Contributions
• 100 years of legal precedent

Copyright Opponents

• Righteous Indignation
• Sense of Entitlement
• Appeal to inferred intentions of people (founding fathers) who died 200 years ago
• A few bright points, EFF and others
• Blogs

Umm, I think we have a problem. I'm on the side of restraining copyright, but I'm not sure this fight is fair!

No surprise

[Vainglorious Coward]

In the EU, performers get 50 years copyright. 2005 minus fifty years is 1955, the dawn of the modern era of rock and pop. The late Elvis is the first big goose scheduled to stop laying golden eggs, but other huge ones loom over the next decade - the Beatles in particular.

No wonder the corps are pressing for extensions; why wouldn't they want indefinite copyrights? It's certainly in their interests, but it's most definitely not in the wider interestes of society at large. This proposal will do nothing to pomote the useful arts and sciences.