I have recently heard that it is proposed to extend the copyrights on music recordings from 50 years to 70 years in Britain.
The main question about this proposal is WHY?

The only answer can be to allow copyright holders to get even more money for doing nothing.

Such a move is effectively the extension of feudalism.
In the past the friends of the king were given lands to own in perpetuity.
In return the friends had to provide the king with men and funds for his army.

In more recent times the land ownership has been gradually eroded by taxation so that there are few of the original estates left.
Land feudalism is gradually fading away.
Now there is a new type of feudalism.

Those who are in the music business who are friends of politicians are about to be given something - extended copyrights - for nothing? The friends won't have to provide men for the king's armies but... There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. (TANSTAAFL)

The politicians MUST get something out of the deal. WHAT?
I personally will ALWAYS believe that if such legislation is passed, that some, if not many politicians will have been rewarded somehow for
extending the copyright law. NO amount of denials will ever be convincing!

I think that any politician who votes for the extension of music copyrights who is subsequently found to have even an indirect financial
interest in the music business should be branded as corrupt. He or she should be banned from participating in politics for life. He or she
should be required to repay all income derived from politics from the time the vote took place.

It would be different if copyright owners had to pay a licence fee to extend a copyright as patentees have to for extensions of patent
rights. As far as I know there are no plans to charge copyright holders for the proposed 20 year extension of their rights.

Compare the copyright law extension with the development of Linux. There is a small but increasing demand for software that is free of
paid for licensing restrictions.

Compare music copyrights with Dyson's vacuum cleaner patents. Now anyone can copy his patented ideas without penalty. He had to pay to protect his patents. What protection has he got now?

Paul McCartney and his like paid nothing to get their copyrights.

Ask your MP if he or she in the business of subsidising millionaires.