Copyright in the UK has increased from 50 to 70 years. The change comes after a majority vote from the European Union Parliament in 2009. The change in the law was ratified in 2011, whereupon the UK became bound in international law, and was incorporated into domestic law this past week.
The change came after a successful lobbying campaign by various international and European record labels. This was in an attempt to make copyright laws in Europe more in line with the laws in the US. It should be noted that in the US the term of copyright is a whopping 95 years.
The law also supposedly offers greater protection to the interest of the musicians. For example, under the law session musicians are entitled to at least 20% royalty of the total royalty payments the artist receives from the record label for the sales of his song. There is also a provision referred to popularly as the “clean slate” provision; where royalty payments paid in advance to artists by the producers cannot be deducted from the producer’s overall payment to the musicians.
Like always it remains to be seen what practical effects these provisions will have on the UK.
Source:
