Reform Copyright

Europe should not extend copyright terms as longer terms damage innovation and reward the estates of deceased artists rather than working creators.

Agree or Disagree?

The EU has proposed to extend the term of copyright in sound recordings in a move "aimed at performers". This will impose serious costs on consumers, follow-on innovators and re-users of information. The proposal also endangers the basis of public respect and acceptance of copyright and the wider system of intellectual property (IP).

In fact, the proposal will mostly reward record companies and older, established artists. Very little money would reach performers of small or middle rank. It would also divert money from newer acts, as bulk license payments are spread across more, older recorded works. It would also encourage rights holding companies to concentrate on marketing back catalogues requiring low reinvestment rather than riskier investment in new acts. In these ways, copyright term extension will discourage innovation and cultural investment.

In 2005 the Adelphi Charter, a framework for policy makers considering changes to IP legislation, urged legislators to automatically presume against extending the scope or term of exclusive rights stating that "the burden of proof in such cases must lie on the advocates of change" in order to promote and protect economic well-being and people's basic rights. This proposal for term extension clearly fails that test and should be rejected emphatically.