Current legislation protected the rights for 50 years according to the EU allowing musicians arrived at the end of his life without charge for their creations. Also increase the chances that the musicians can recover the rights that have been transferred. The European Union (EU) agreed on Monday to increase the protection of rights that performers and phonogram producers on their recordings for 50 to 70 years, have to adopt a new policy by a qualified majority. The new policy aims to increase the level of protection of performers recognizing their creative and artistic contributions noted the Council of the EU in a statement. The countries that voted against this proposal were Belgium, the Czech Republic, Holland, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden, while Estonia and Austria abstained, said the Council. Source: Mark Stevens. As explained this organ, interpreters are people who typically begin their careers being very young, in such a way that within 50 years did not protect his works during his lifetime, by what many failing revenues at the end of its existence. Also, do not they could always rely on their rights to avoid or restrict unauthorized use of his music throughout his life.

Moreover, the directive also provides measures to ensure that performers who have transferred their exclusive rights to producers can truly benefit the term extension. Also who can regain their rights subject to certain conditions. The decision Monday by EU Ministers was approved as a point without discussion during the General Affairs Council to be held today in Brussels. The new directive also harmonizes the method to calculate the time of protection of songs and other musical compositions with lyrics created by several authors. In these cases, that of shared creation, the Council points out that the term of protection shall expire 70 years after the death of the last survivor, either the author of the lyrics or the composer of the music. Then the Member States will have to incorporate the new provisions into their national legislation. The adoption of the directive modifies an earlier in 2006, and is the product of the agreement reached with the European Parliament at first reading.

For its part, the Federation International of the record industry company (IFPI, its acronym in English) held the measure in a statement, insofar as its President, the tenor Placido Domingo, called decision of especially important at a time where digital services licenses make music available broadly through Internet. For the CEO of IFPI, this decision gives artists and producers the treatment they deserve, and narrow the gap that existed between European musicians and their international colleagues, while improving the conditions for investing in new talent. More than 38,000 artists and musicians had signed a request for extension of time for the protection of rights. The accolades were joined the Association of organizations of European performers (AEPO-ARTIS), the International Federation of musicians, the GIART – that agglutinates to societies for collective management of rights of Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal-, and the ICMP, which represents the interests of music publishers. Also the Association of independent music (IMPALA) companies was in favor of the new law. Source of the news: the EU increases the protection of the rights of musicians to 70 years