Too much is never enough? : the 2011 Copyright in Sound Recordings Extension Directive

Farrand, Benjamin (2012) Too much is never enough? : the 2011 Copyright in Sound Recordings Extension Directive. European Intellectual Property Review, 34 (5). pp. 297-304. ISSN 0142-0461

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Abstract

The Copyright in Sound Recordings Extension Directive (2011/77/EU) was approved by the Council of Ministers and enacted on September 12, 2011. Hailed as a victory for the protection of ageing performers reliant on the royalties amassed in recorded music, the Directive extended the term of protection for sound recordings from 50 to 70 years. However, the Term Extension Directive has been criticised by consumer advocate groups and some Member States as providing little protection and incentive to artists, while potentially damaging the public domain. As this article seeks to demonstrate, while record labels and superstar artists may benefit from this extension, the benefits to most performers and consumers appear negligible.