[ARSCLIST] Fw: Plan to extend copyright in UK

[Dick Spottswood <dick@xxxxxxxx>]

the clouds gather...

----- Forwarded by Dick Spottswood/dick/AmericanU on 06/14/2005 08:39 AM
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"Lance Ledbetter" <lance@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
06/13/2005 08:42 PM

        To:     "Dick Spottswood" <dick@xxxxxxxx>
        cc:
        Subject:        Plan to extend copyright in UK


The Sunday Times - Britain
June 05, 2005

Plan to extend copyright on pop classics
Andrew Porter, Deputy Political Editor

BRITAIN'S super-rich rock veterans are about to get even richer. The
government wants to extend copyright laws to ensure pop songs are
protected for almost twice as long as the current 50 years. It sees the
move as a way of generating more money for the record industry, which
would use it to discover new talent.

It will mean Beatles classics such as Love Me Do and Please Please Me,
released in 1963, need not automatically lose their copyright in 2013.
The Rolling Stones could also benefit with songs such as Satisfaction
having their copyright extended beyond 2015.

James Purnell, the new minister for creative industries, believes the
change will allow record companies to generate extra revenue to look for
new talent and nurture it. Purnell, who will outline his plans in a
speech next week, said: "The music industry is a risky business and
finding talent and artists is expensive. There is a view that long-term
earners are needed so that the record companies can plough money back
into unearthing new talent.
"Bands like Coldplay will make enough money for their company to help
them discover around 50 or 100 bands."

In America, copyright protection lasts 90 years - and British ministers
are considering a similar period. Tessa Jowell, the culture secretary,
is also planning to set up a Music Council to be run along the lines of
the present Film Council. The music industry believes this would help
with cross- industry initiatives such as stamping out piracy.  The moves
are part of the Labour government's first steps back into policy-making
in an area that has an uncomfortable history. When Tony Blair first
entered Downing Street, he was keen to embrace the supposed spirit of
"Cool Britannia", but this later became synonymous with a
celebrity-obsessed elite.  It saw figures such as Oasis star Noel
Gallagher and Meg Mathews, his wife at the time, comedian Eddie Izzard
and actor Ralph Fiennes feted by the Blairs.

Purnell believes that the idea behind Cool Britannia was right, but
poorly executed. "The label Cool Britannia gave the impression that the
policy was about supporting an elite in London. But the last five years
have shown that creative industries are central to regeneration," he
said "You only have to look at Manchester, Gateshead or Liverpool to see
how these sectors generate jobs and civic pride. We do not want to be in
a situation in 30 or 40 years' time when [these industries] are talked
about in the past tense like shipbuilding."

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1641428,00.html