A recent press release from the IFPI would lead one to believe that, if given their rathers, the Brits would hapilly take an extension of copyright to a proposed 95 years, as opposed to the current 50 year term.

From the release, "62 per cent of those polled agreed that UK artists should be protected for the same number of years as their American counterparts, by extending the term of copyright for sound recordings from its current 50 years to 95 years."

And certainly, if you ask the question in a very leading way such as, "Should UK artists enjoy the same copyright protections as their U.S. counterparts?", most people are going to say yes. Frankly, I'm surprised that such a loaded question only garnered a 62 percent share in the affirmative.

What most UK citizens probably don't realize; US copyright terms are only as long as they are because of a few heavy hitting and deep pocketed corporations who spent millions lobbying congress to extend their copyright terms (I'm looking at you, Disney). Until Mickey Mouse came dangerously close to retirement age, this wasn't an issue. Now, for the Brits, the issue revolves around The Beatles, who's first recordings reach 50 years of age around 2010, with the earliest bits from the Stones following just two years behind.

Artists are entitled to a fair and reasonable lifetime for the works they create, there isn't any argument about that. However, extending copyright to exceed the life expectancy of everyone who is living today is morally reprehensible, and a bad deal for artists and creators themselves. Music, literature and culture are building blocks. Each new work adds to the common meme and creates a new point from which to jump off. Had Disney faced the same copyright terms in the 1930's that they enjoy today, many of the stories they plucked from the public meme and created beautiful cartoons to illustrate would have been locked away from Disney's reach by copyright terms extending far beyond the lifespan of their original authors. What Disney did in the US, and what the IFPI, BPI and others are lobbying to do in the UK is helping to ensure that no one will ever start and build another Disney. This debate has precious little to do with the artists, and a whole lot to do with the publishers.