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As some of you may know, the PML-CA server currently provides certain files for download by users located in countries where the copyright duration is 50 years (the so-called "50 pma countries") thanks to a company named Project Leonardo Limited, incorporated in New Zealand (a 50 pma country). Project Leonardo Limited operates servers located in Canada (also a 50 pma country), which ensures that server operations are compliant with copyright law. Users located in other (not 50 pma) countries may lawfully benefit from the availability of such materials provided that the free use of copyrighted materials is permitted in their countries under applicable law (including "fair use" or "fair dealing" provisions).

However, the imminent ratification (within the next two years) of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) treaty by several countries in the Pacific area, including Canada and New Zealand, will likely extend copyright duration in these countries to 70 years. As a result, continuing to serve the PML-CA server from Canada under a New Zealand company may be problematic. The solution, then, is to move PML-CA to a country that will remain 50 pma for the foreseeable future.

And so, we have formed an entity in Hong Kong named Project Leonardo HK Limited to host PML-CA. Hong Kong is an administrative area of China, which is (and as far as we know will remain) a 50 pma jurisdiction. The legal responsibility for PML-CA will be transferred from Project Leonardo Limited (a NZ legal entity) to Project Leonardo HK Limited (a HK legal entity), and the servers hosting PML-CA will also be migrated from Canada to Hong Kong (a backup server is already running in Hong Kong). This way, we can ensure that the PML-CA server will continue to operate in compliance with all applicable copyright laws.

Incorporating and operating a company costs money. The costs to incorporate Project Leonardo HK Limited have been entirely covered by IMSLP users, either through direct donations, or through IMSLP membership fees: Project Petrucci LLC, the company operating the imslp.org site, generously donated to Project Leonardo HK Limited a quota of the membership fees collected to support the incorporation of Project Leonardo HK Limited. Many thanks to all users who contributed, either directly or through Project Petrucci LLC, to support the incorporation of Project Leonardo HK Limited and the continued operation of the PML-CA server.

Project Leonardo wrote:However, the imminent ratification (within the next two years) of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) treaty by several countries in the Pacific area, including Canada and New Zealand, will likely extend copyright duration in these countries to 70 years.

If this happens in 2018 will composers dead between 1947 and 1967 be brought back under copyright? Or will the boundary date be frozen in 1967 for 20 years and resume following the year afterwards?

This will probably vary on a country-by-country basis. In New Zealand the extension will apply to works that are still within their current 50 year term of protection, but not those that have already fallen into the public domain. I'm not sure about Canada and other countries.

Max