Charlie McCreevy, European commissioner for the internal market, recently announced his intention “to propose to the College [of commissioners] that its term of copyright protection for European performers be increased from 50 to 95 years”.

It is just possible that Mr McCreevy does not understand that copyright on recordings does not vest in performers but in producers, which are in almost all cases record companies. But we can be certain that Guy Hands, whose Terra Firma is the new private equity owner of EMI, Britain’s leading record company, does. So it is no surprise that Mr Hands welcomed the Commission’s proposal to extend sound recording copyright. However Mr Hands’ statement applauded the plan not for its benefit to his shareholders, but on behalf of European artists.