The US Supreme Court continued its commitment to lengthened copyright periods yesterday. A number of internet companies hoped to overturn 1998 legislation that extended the length of copyright restrictions on songs, books or cartoon creations from fifty to seventy years after death of the creator. Campaigners argue that copyright legislation is preventing the general public from appreciating artistic works that belong to society at large – they also object to the copyright period for recorded music, which is now 95 years after recording in the US (considerably more than the 50 years in Europe – see the article at www.cmuonline.co.uk on that). But the Supreme Court disagreed, voting 7-2 in favour of the 1998 legislation.
Talking about the decision Digitalconsumer.org, who are campaigning for a reduction in copyright periods, told reporters: “this is another in a series of blows to consumer rights to copyrighted works … this ruling underscores the importance of protecting consumer fair-use rights. With the court's decision to affirm the monopoly privileges of content holders, the only remaining counterbalance is a set of consumer fair-use rights. Unfortunately, those rights have been under siege in Congress and in the marketplace. This ruling today reinforces the need for Congress to bolster the fair-use rights of citizens.”
But Cary Sherman of the Recording Industry Association of America welcomed the decision, saying it was “a decisive and important victory for creators and consumers. The Supreme Court has affirmed the importance of the copyright system and the authority of Congress to adapt it in response to evolving markets and international developments. The Court also recognized, once again, that copyright and the First Amendment are completely compatible, noting that our copyright system contains ‘built-in speech safeguards.’”