The culture spokesman for those most Liberal of Democrats has put forward proposals for a "conditional extension" to recording copyrights which would allow rights owners to extend the length of their copyrights from 50 to 95 years but subject to certain conditions.
Don Foster MP has put forward the proposals as part of the previously reported government review on intellectual property, which has seen the record industry call for an extension on the current 50 year copyright for recordings - to bring it in line with the longer copyrights enjoyed in other countries, and in the publishing sector. The UK's National Consumer Council recently criticised those proposals, accusing the major record companies of being greedy in their desire to extend their copyrights.
Foster opposes a blanket increase that automatically extends every recording copyright because, he argues, many record companies fail to utilise large portions of their back catalogues and the current system means that after fifty years new independent players can access and rerelease those 'lost recordings' which, he reckons, are good for society at a large as well as the independents who profit from them. Nevertheless, Foster agrees that the content owners who invested in original recordings should be allowed to continue to profit from that investment, should they wish to.
Therefore under Foster's system rights holders would only be allowed to extend the copyrights on music they genuinely intend to keep in circulation - a "use it or lose it" system. Record labels would have to pay a fee to get an extension on any one recording, commit to keep that recording available in whatever formats the latest music technology trends require, and to allow third parties to distribute the music if they are unable to.
Announcing his proposals, Foster told reporters: "Britain has a fantastic musical history that we should be proud of. But the industry's calls for a blanket extension of copyright threatens that very legacy. We want to ensure musicians and the music industry continue to thrive while ensuring the public benefits from greater availability and better protection of our musical heritage. No-body benefits from historical recordings sitting in a basement gathering dust. Government should not give the music industry a free ticket to ride. A 'use it or lose it' clause will ensure much more of our rich musical history sees the light of day."