more greedy snouts in the trough.

[AlanG]

PRetty soon we'll be having to pay 10% of teh selling price of our
homes to the guy who installed the new radiators.

http://www.out-law.com/page-6468

"....intellectual property right will allow living artists to receive
a portion of the sale price made when their work is traded or resold.

At present in the UK, once an artist has sold his work he receives no
further payment for it, even though it may be resold many times in the
future for greater sums of money. In France and many other European
countries, artists are paid a percentage of the resale proceeds under
a Droit de Suite for as long as copyright protects the work – up to 70
years after the death of the artist.

A European Directive, approved in 2001 after lengthy negotiations,
seeks to harmonise the position. It is due to come into force
throughout the EU on 1st January 2006.

While it will make little difference to European countries that
already have remuneration schemes for artists, the Directive is
expected to have a significant impact on the UK, Austria and Ireland,
where no such right has previously existed.

The UK government has therefore been particularly concerned to ensure
that any negative effects on the strong UK art market are kept to an
absolute minimum. It held a consultation on the proposals earlier in
the year.

In general terms, the Directive "on the resale right for the benefit
of the author of an original work of art" will benefit producers of
paintings, photographs, sculptures and other unique works of art.

It provides that a royalty payment will be made to living UK and
European artists on works which are sold at a value of €1,000 or more
with the help of a professional.

The royalty will be calculated as a percentage of the sale price, with
a tapering scale starting at 4% for works valued to €50,000 and
decreasing to 0.25% for the proportion of sale above €500,000. The
maximum payment on any sale is fixed at €12,500.

In addition the Government intends to use a derogation, negotiated at
the time the Directive was agreed, which allows the UK to not extend
the rights to deceased artists until 2010 with the possibility of a
further extension to 2012.

All royalties will be collected on behalf of artists by a collecting
society to reduce the burden on business.

"The introduction of the UK Artists’ Resale Right will bring the UK
into line with Europe,” said Ron Marchant, Chief Executive of the UK
Patent Office. “Specific details such as the threshold of €1,000 for
royalty payments and the derogation not to extend the rights to
deceased artists until 2012, will strike a balance between the needs
of artists, traders and buyers in the UK."......"