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23 April 2015Copyright

Political party eyes '14-year' copyright term ahead of UK election

The Green Party of England and Wales has announced that if it is elected next month it would aim to shorten the period of copyright protection to 14 years and, under certain circumstances, legalise online file-sharing.

The proposals are in the party’s pre-election manifesto, which describes how it would modify the UK’s laws, including on intellectual property, if it wins a majority in the general election on May 7.

In the manifesto, published on April 14, the party said it “supports a world of open, freely flowing information”.

“We need copyright laws that reward creators but that are consistent with digital technologies,” it added.

The party has pledged to “make copyright shorter in length, fair and flexible, and prevent patents applying to software”.

Among a number of key proposals the party has announced is a plan to shorten the term of protection for copyrighted material to a “maximum of 14 years”.

Currently, in the UK copyright protection lasts for 'life plus 70 years'.

It is unclear, however, if the term begins when the work is first published or at the death of the author.

The party, if elected, would also relax rules on peer-to-peer sharing of copyright protected works and would legalise online sharing “where it is not done as a business”.

There are also proposals to shorten patent terms, although it is unclear to what extent.

A patent would be “nationalised” and fall under government control if it is judged to be in the “public interest” and any “living material” would be ineligible for patenting.

In UK elections prospective candidates fight for the right to become a member of parliament. There are 650 seats available, with a party needing 326 seats to form a majority government.

The party has candidates in 574 seats for the upcoming election, with leader Natalie Bennett standing in the London ward of Holborn and St. Pancras.

In the UK’s last general election in 2010, Caroline Lucas was the first Green Party representative to be elected.

According to the latest poll by market research company YouGov, published on April 22, the party has the support of 5% of the general public that is registered to vote.

A spokesperson for the Green Party told WIPR it has no plans to implement the 14-year copyright proposals in the near future.

“We would consult with copyright owners and the general public to establish an appropriate length, but believe copyright terms should be shorter than they are at present in order to reduce restrictions on our shared cultural heritage.

“Though our long-term vision includes a proposed copyright length of 14 years, we have no plans to implement this in the near future.”

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27 April 2015   The Green Party of England and Wales has decided to review its copyright policy at its next conference after its proposals for a '14-year' term of protection received criticism from right owners.