Stef van Gompel wrote this little update on a bad policy proposal:
The intention of the European Commission to extend the term of protection in sound recordings is taking more serious proportions, now that they have formally adopted a proposal to that effect.
See the press release announcing the proposal for a term extension, and also the proposal itself, at:
<<http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/copyright/term-protection/term-protection_en.htm>>
The proposal ignores all the empirical evidence that hitherto has been brought forward recommending the Commission not to proceed towards a term extension. These include two independent reports, the one written by the Institute for Information Law for the Commission’s DG Internal Market, the other written by the Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law for the UK Gowers Review. For those of you interested in reading these reports, here are the links:
- (1) Institute for Information Law (IViR), ‘The Recasting of Copyright & Related Rights for the Knowledge Economy’, report to the European Commission, DG Internal Market, November 2006, online available at: <<http://www.ivir.nl/publications/other/IViR_Recast_Final_Report_2006.pdf>>, p. 83-137.(2) Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law (CIPIL), University of Cambridge, ‘Review of the Economic Evidence Relating to an Extension of Copyright in Sound Recordings’, online available at: <<http://www.cipil.law.cam.ac.uk/policy_documents/>>.
For those of you who have little time, there is also an article on the matter (to which I contributed) which gives a pretty good overview of the different arguments against a term extension. See:
N. Helberger, N. Dufft, S.J. van Gompel & P.B. Hugenholtz, ‘Never Forever: Why Extending the Term of Protection for Sound Recordings is a Bad Idea,’ E.I.P.R., 2008-5, p. 174-181, online available at:
<<http://www.ivir.nl/publications/helberger/EIPR_2008_5.pdf>>
Finally, some campaigns have been launched and statements issued opposing the proposal for a term extension. Amongst others, there are:
Creativity stifled? – Why copyright term extension for sound recordings is a very bad idea:
<<http://www.cippm.org.uk/publications/index.html>>
Campaign against term extension by EFF and Open Rights Group:
<<http://www.soundcopyright.eu/>>
EBLIDA Expert Group on Information Law
<<http://www.eblida.org/index.php?page=position-papers-and-statements-2>>
Luxcommons asbl 