The European Union Council has recently voted to extend
copyright protection on sound recordings from 50 to 70 years after
the date of the original recording. The change follows an extensive
campaign by Sir Cliff Richard and other artists to have the period
for music copyright extended in order to reward artists on a
long-term basis for their creative efforts.
Whilst the decision, christened "Cliff's Law,"
requires that all 27 EU Member States must incorporate the changes
into national law within two years, eight Member States voted
against the new period of copyright and two abstained on the basis
that the extension would benefit only the minority.
Critics of the decision argue that the extension will largely
benefit the major record labels and big artists, with many less
well known musicians experiencing little gain. The change itself
affects the copyright on studio recordings which are usually owned
by large record labels. The position would be different if
