COMMONS AMENDMENT (Hansard, 30 October 1956)

§ LORD MANCROFT

My Lords, we now move to quite a different subject. This Amendment might have been known as "Lord Archibald's benefit", because it was he who first carved the thin end of this wedge which has now developed a very thick portion at the other end. The Copyright Committee recommended a uniform period of twenty-five years for all quasi-industrial subjects of copyright protection, and the Bill originally provided accordingly. Your Lordships will recall that when the Bill was before your Lordships' House, strong pleas were made for a fifty-year period of copyright for films, and that in Committee the Government accepted an Amendment to this effect which was moved with great persuasion—I am inclined to think now, too great persuasion—by Lord Archibald.

When the Bill was in another place a strong case was made for giving the same concession to still photographs. It was argued that the artistic contribution of the photographer was no less. Further, it was represented that anomalies would arise from having different periods of copyright for the still and the moving picture; the example was given of the explorer who takes both still and ciné 1147 cameras on his expedition and whose pictures are all equally entitled to copyright protection. The Government were impressed by the case and accepted this Amendment. I beg to move that this House doth agree with the Commons in the said Amendment.