European Union extends Beatles’ copyright, still gonna must buy the White Album

If you have been looking ahead to the hits of the ’60s to lapse into the general public domain, prepare to be disappointed. The European Union has agreed to increase the term of protection for sound recordings — which previously lasted for fifty — to 70 years. That implies the White Album won’t be free to possess until 2038. The extension was granted to assure income for performers of their old age who would otherwise lose out, reminiscent of impoverished multi-millionaire Sir Paul McCartney . Opinions are divided, with record companies praising the move and open-rights groups being rather a lot less enthusiastic. A captivating point to notice is that the move was done despite government-funded research on the contrary . Either way, ever increasing copyright legislation means it is much more likely we’ll see much more extreme anti-piracy adverts, like the one after the break.