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I'll pass all responses to the sender.
Will Prentice
-----Original Message-----
From: Cook Nicholas [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 11 July 2006 10:30
To: Prentice, Will
Subject: Extension of copyright on sound recordings
Dear Will Prentice
I'm writing at the suggestion of Daniel Leech-Wilkinson, but in my roles
as Director of the AHRC Research Centre for the History and Analysis of
Recorded Music (CHARM) and also a member of the British Academy Review
Group on Copyright and Humanities Scholarship. Wearing both these hats
I'm concerned about the campaign to extend copyright on sound
recordings, which--on US experience--would both limit public access to
the musical heritage and undermine the reissue industry that curently
enables that access. CHARM made a submission to the Gowers Review which
made both of these, and other, points (if you'd like to see it, our
submission is at
http://www.charm.rhul.ac.uk/content/resources/Gowers.pdf.)
A number of submissions to the Gowers Review have opposed this extension
on grounds of public access, which presents the issue as one of
commercial versus non-commercial interests. However there is a view that
what might be more effective in influencing Gowers' thinking is a clear
statement that, in favouring the commercial interests of the major
record companies, such an extension would damage other sectors of the
market, in particular the reissue industry. And given the publicity that
the BPI compaign has attracted through the contributions of
superannuated pop stars--such as Ian Anderson's article in the
_Financial Times_--I'm concerned that the position of the reissue
industry is heard loud and clear.
I was wondering how far British & Irish Sound Archives has been involved
in these issues, or whether you may know how far the position of the
reissue industry has been represented to Gowers--in particular, do you
know if is there any kind of industry organization which may have been
pressing the case? (I don't see anything in the Open Rights Group's list
of submissions at
http://www.openrightsgroup.org/orgwiki/index.php/Gowers_review_on_intell
ectual_property, but I'm sure that's not complete.) Although the
deadline for submission to Gowers has passed, the British Academy's
review group will be making its report and holding a high-profile launch
ahead of the planned date for Gowers to report, so that will be an
opportunity to further press the case. Any help you might be able to
give me would be very much appreciated.
Best wishes, Nicholas Cook
-------------------
Nicholas Cook, FBA
Professorial Research Fellow in Music
Royal Holloway, University of London
Director, AHRC Research Centre for the History and Analysis of Recorded
Music
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