Recording royalties body PPL, record label trade body BPI and the Musicians Union have all spoken out in support of former Runrigger Peter Wishart MP's Private Member's Bill which aims to extend the sound recording copyright term from fifty to seventy years, which isn't really a surprise, but I'm running it as the lead story anyway. Do you have a problem with that? No, good.
As previously reported, Wishart's Bill, if successful, would see the copyright term extended even though government policy on the matter is that the current fifty year term is adequate - an opinion based on the Gordon Brown commissioned Gowers report on copyright law. Wishart will lead a session at the Houses Of Parliament tomorrow to show that the copyright extension has cross-Parliamentary support - with Tories, Liberal Democrats and Labour MPs all supporting the SNP man's proposals - and also that the music industry backs his plans.
Keen to confirm that support, PPL boss Fran Nevrkla told reporters yesterday: "We shall spare no effort and leave no stone unturned by working closely with the rest of the music industry as well as our key supporters in Parliament, especially Pete Wishart MP, Michael Connarty MP and many others from all parties, until justice is done and the long overdue copyright parity is achieved".
BPI boss Geoff Taylor said that Wishart's Bill was "a further demonstration of the strong support within the UK Parliament for the rights of artists and the creative companies that invest in them".
And Musicians' Union General Secretary John Smith said: "The Musicians' Union welcomes Pete Wishart's Bill. The fact that performers rights are expiring during a performer's lifetime is indefensible and, we believe, morally wrong".
The "copyright parity" referred to in Nevrkla's quote there refers to the fact, of course, that the copyright term for the lyrics and musical score of a song are the life of the songwriter/composer plus seventy years, which is somewhat more than the fifty year term enjoyed by any recording of the song.
Wishart's bill is just one route being pursued by the record industry to get the sound recording term extended. As previously reported, European Union Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy recently said he thought the term should be increased to 95 years, bringing it in line with the US sound recording copyright term. Such talk at an EU level is important, even if Wishart's bill is successful, because some experts on the matter say that the European dimension to copyright would make it difficult for the UK to increase the term without similar measures being adopted across the EU.