7. Duration of copyright

Abstract

This chapter examines the debate over the question of the appropriate period of protection that ought to be granted to copyright works, with emphasis on literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works as well as films and entrepreneurial works (sound recordings, broadcasts, and typographical arrangements of published editions). It begins by considering the provisions of the EU Term Directive with regards to the duration of protection for such works and then discusses a number of exceptions to the general rule that the duration of copyright works is life plus 70 years. It also analyses moral rights of integrity and attribution in the UK in relation to copyright, as well as the so-called publication right in works in which copyright has lapsed. The chapter concludes with an assessment of the optimal term of copyright protection.