Copyright Decision Imminent

Senior European officials may rule on the copyright term extension any day, although there’s evidence that not all the U.K.’s music organisations will agree with the wording of it.

While the corridors of Brussels must be buzzing with last-minute lobbying, the U.K. press is reporting that the British government – in cahoots with the record industry – submitted a revised draft of the term of protection directive.

The U.K. government, which agrees with the section of the draft that would extend the copyright term to 70 years, voted against the directive because it was not happy that future copyrights were being treated as “transitional measures” and wouldn’t be covered by the agreement.

The government wants to include recordings made after the directive becomes operational.

It’s not clear if other countries are not happy with that or – having reached broad agreement on the term – want to rush the bill through, seeing the British amendment as a last-minute obstacle that could be sorted out later.

Reports suggest the U.K. government appears to be convincing its European counterparts of its case.

The Featured Artists Coalition came out in support of the government’s stance on future recordings, although the major labels with their lengthy back catalogues – which would immediately get a 20-year extension – reportedly considered the late change “particularly unhelpful.”