BBC: Let copyrights expire

Here's a thoughtful piece by the BBC about why music copyrights--yes, even in Beatles records--should be allowed to expire after 50 years.

The article only advocates allowing the mechanical licenses to expire, not the copyright in the song (which lasts for the life of the artist plus 70 years). The latter goes to songwriters whenever a song is sold or played on the radio; the former goes to music companies.

I also do not think that artists should get 70 years of post-mortem rents on their creations, but it's refreshing to see such a major news organization advocate against the unending extension of copyright protection on any front.