MUMBAI: Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel and several other artistes may soon be able to reclaim ownership of some of their best-selling albums due to provision in the copyright law.

In the mid-70's there was a revision in US copyright law that gave musicians "termination rights." These rights allow musicians and other artistes to retake ownership of their creations after 35 years, as long as they apply two years in advance. This means that songs recorded after 1978 will be the first to be affected. The earliest that ownership can be reclaimed is 2013, but the labels are already in talks about the issue of termination rights.

Artists like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Bryan Adams have already filed at the United States Copyright Office, but all four major record labels have indicated that they will not give up rights easily. They have long considered the recordings their own property, and a loss of that property would just add to the damage done by the internet technology and filesharing that has rattled the industry for the past decade.

Recording Industry Association of America general counsel Steven Marks said, We believe the termination right doesn't apply to most sound recordings....

In India this copyright provision could act as a strong defense for the songwriters and composers, who are fighting colossal legal battle with major music labels of the country.