Cliff Richard In Your Podcast, Madam?

A long campaign by the British music industry to extend the copyright period in sound recordings from 50 to 70 years has been rejected by the UK Government after the House of Commons Culture Committee's previous recommendation to the contrary, which means that very soon, it will be legal to include hits from the late 1950s in podcasts without paying royalties.

"Under current rules, performers can earn royalties for 50 years from the end of the year when a sound recording was made. In comparison, novelists, playwrights and composers enjoy copyright protection for their life and 70 years afterwards. The copyright protection for performers in the United States is 95 years from release and in Australia it is 70 years. The industry had called on the British government to lobby the European Commission to extend the term to at least 70 years." - Reuters.

"The UK is a world-beating source of great music, so it is frustrating that on the issue of copyright term the government has shown scant respect for British artists and the UK recording industry," John Kennedy, head of the IFPI body which represents the international recording industry, said in a statement.

"Some of the greatest works of British music will soon be taken away from the artists who performed them and the companies that invested in them."

The BPI, body representing 70% of the UK record business, will now take the case to Europe.

Read the full text of the decision here, which includes recommendations for new media.