Expert responds to Brit politico who swore to make more copyright despite admitted facts

Glyn sez, "Andrew Gowers has written a response in the Financial Times to Andy Burnham, Britain’s secretary of state for Culture, Media and Sport statement in favour of copyright extension. Mr Gowers was appointed by the UK goverment two years ago to do a year long review listening to all the evidence on copyright extension amongst other things, his final report said dont do it, it makes no sense. His comment on Burnham's speech: 'As political speeches go, this is pretty silly. A moral case? You might just as well say sportspeople have a moral case to a pension at 30.'"

Gowers is the expert who conducted the thoroughgoing analysis of the costs of extending copyright. Burnham is the politician who said that he didn't care if the facts said that longer copyright on sound recordings was bad for Britain -- he would extend copyright because of the "moral case."

All the respectable research shows that copyright extension has high costs to the public and negligible benefits for the creative community.
Consumers find themselves paying more for old works or unable to access “orphan works” where copyright ownership is unclear. Small businesses that play recorded music such as hairdressing salons and local radio stations face a hidden extra “tax” in the form of higher music-licence fees. Do they really need this at this time?
Mr Burnham will no doubt find such arguments uncool. But even on his terms, the case for extension does not work. Twenty years’ extra earning power in 50 years’ time does nothing to put more money in the pockets of struggling performers now: two thirds of lifetime income from an average compact disc comes in the first six years after release.
And it will not alter the incentives for creation one jot. As Dave Rowntree, Blur’s drummer, told my review: “I have never heard of a single band deciding not to record a song because it will fall out of copyright in only 50 years. The idea is laughable.”

There's lots more -- and every word of it dripping with learned, factual rebuttals of errant nonsense.

Previously:

Discussion

Take a look at this

#1 posted by joncro

, December 15, 2008 7:26 AM

arrant

#2 posted by annoyingmouse , December 15, 2008 7:30 AM

It should be noted that Dave Rowntree (the quoted Blur drummer) has actually been a candidate for the Labour party in the past (and is a candidate for the next general election according to wikipedia). For a musician and member of the party supporting this move to say what he said surely counts for something.

#3 posted by Ugly Canuck , December 15, 2008 8:28 AM

Patriotism may be the last refuge of the scoundrel, but they will always be standing upon a "moral case" whilst they wrap themselves in the flag.

#4 posted by Russell , December 15, 2008 8:38 AM

Sadly, just because something makes sense doesn't mean it gets very far in British politics. The driver here though, is all about Control and ensuring maximum longevity at that.

#5 posted by IWood , December 15, 2008 8:52 AM

Pension at 30! Pension at 30! Pension at 30!

#6 posted by buddy66 , December 15, 2008 9:09 AM

"Patriotism may be the last refuge of the scoundrel...."

Hate to pedantic, Canuck, but Dr.Johnson wasn't referring to love of country when he said that; he was responding to a Whig faction called ''The Patriots'' and their platform. As a Tory he was obviously a patriot.

#7 posted by Piers W , December 15, 2008 9:37 AM

#1 arrant and errant, and unrepresentative, except of a few interest groups.

I wonder how fat Andy Burnham's little brown envelope is?

#8 posted by arkizzle , December 15, 2008 10:10 AM

Thanks for this Cory, great stuff.

#9 posted by Super Nate , December 15, 2008 2:41 PM

I'm guessing his "moral case" is an extension of the if value; property fallacy.

Also, so happy to have fingerless gloves for typing, mousing and gaming this Winter. My fingers get cold!

#10 posted by Ugly Canuck , December 15, 2008 3:47 PM

Ah one of Johnson's is it?
That garrulous gorilla of an idler?
Thanx Buddy for the heads up, I'll stop using it now.
As to the Secretary, info is not property, except incidentally. "Propertyness" is no part of the essence of information.

#11 posted by kraut , December 15, 2008 4:54 PM

Of course the chance of the government actually listening to the commission it set up to investigate the merits of copyright extensions, and doubtlessly paid a lot of money for, is about nil. Why listen to advice you asked for? That would be silly.

W.r.t. patriotism, I think Ambrose Bierce improved on Johnson (and is more in tune with modern usage): "In Dr. Johnson's famous dictionary patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer I beg to submit that it is the first."