§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will introduce a measure to remove the extension of copyright from 50 to 70 years after the death of the author, restoring the 50 year period.
§ The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Clinton-Davis)The copyright term of the life of the author and 70 years after death now granted in the United Kingdom is that required by Directive 93/98/EEC harmonising the duration of copyright and related rights in the European Community, which was adopted by the Council of Ministers on 29 October 1993. It is not, therefore, possible to restore the previous term of life plus 50 years, since this would place the United Kingdom in breach of Community law.