Term of Copyright Protection Directive Amendment - Why the Commission is Wrong

A directive introduction of extended term of copyright protection in performances fixed in phonograms and phonograms was approved on September 12th, 2011. Without a broader public discussion and without regard to opinions of copyright experts, and extensive term of protection of up to 50 + 70 years (which is far more than 5 years of commercial life of a common recording) has been established on the grounds of strange ideological mix commission, the directive does not help even the performers themselves while instruments which could have help them in reality were not considered by the Commission at all. Performers thus became mere hostages creating a smoke blanket in front of sound recording producers who are the real beneficiaries of the directive. Macroeconomic costs connected with higher administrative burden, right holders search, limited competition and availability of information as well as higher price of sound, recordings will be born by consumers and the society as a whole.