Wednesday 20 May 2009

Vote Match: Aren't we opposed to copyright extension?

I recently took the Vote Match test run by Unlock Democracy. Luckily it said I should vote LibDem (although I only gave it the choice of that and Libertas!).

My results are here. As I was looking through the list of things it thought I disagreed with the LibDems on, I notice all the things on which there was a mismatch were things that either I or the party were open-minded about (phew!). Except:

"Extending the period of copyright protection on sound recordings from 50 years will predominantly benefit music companies and work against the interests of consumers."

I said that it would, the party said wah wah! This doesn't sound right to be (or very Liberal), a quick google turns up this article in which two of our MEP oppose the extension proposal. Andrew Duff MEP even said:

"Europe must stop putting more obstacles in the way of consumer choice. The Commission has been far too weak in giving in to pressure from big business. We should now look at how we can really help performers without penalising those who enjoy music"

I know there are subtleties in this argument but the quote above sounds very much like it's agreeing with the Vote Match statement.

According to the FAQ, the parties had a chance to change any responses but it still doesn't look right to me. Does any know the real position?

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