Peter Pan Perpetual Royalties for Great Ormond Street Hospital HL Amendment, 10th March 1988

This is part of the Report Stage for the Copyright, Designs and Patents Bill (H.L.), on 10th March 1988. Footage courtesy the Parliamentary Recording Unit. I have increased the volume by approx. 7 dB. Follow along in Hansard: https://api.parliament.uk/ historic-hansard/lords/1988/mar/10/copyright-designs-and-patents-bill-hl#S5LV0494P0_19880310_HOL_241 Here the House of Lords discusses an amendment to allow the Great Ormond Street Hospital, a specialist hospital for children, to continue to receive royalties from Sir James Barrie 1st Bt's play Peter Pan in perpetuity, following the expiry of the copyright. This is quite a famous amendment, as it is an exception to the general rule of copyright expiring 75 years after the death of the creator for written works (125 years in the case of Crown Copyright). The Lords have a separate Committee Stage from the Report Stage. In the former, the principles of amendments are discussed, whereas in the latter (as here), amendments are moved and votes taken. Unlike the Commons, where all amendments to be debated are selected by the Speaker, all amendments tabled by any peer are debated in the Lords. There is a custom of peers grouping similar amendments together to be debated at the same time (and also of tactically degrouping them to force more Parliamentary time to be used, by making slower progress through the list of amendments). Ultimately, however, the provisions of the Parliament Acts are kept in mind (that the Commons can constitutionally [ie the Government practically] force through any act without Lords amendments if repeatedly rejected by the Lords), and the Lords tend to graciously decline to insist on amendments if the Commons reject them (see the final debate on the House of Lords Act 1999 for examples of the Lords debating, but refusing to vote against Commons rejections of their amendments [to 'insist on their amendments']:    • House of Lords 11th November 1999— Final b...  ). Note that Lord Callaghan of Cardiff gained the support of the Government for this amendment, which is often the most important thing for an amendment to be accepted (as the Government can always use the Commons to overturn any amendment the Lords pass). 00:00 2nd Earl of Stockton (Conservative) withdraws his amendment 00:05 Amendment Withdrawn 00:11 AMENDMENT 400A 00:19 Lord Callaghan of Cardiff (Labour) 05:51 Amendment 400A Moved 05:58 Lord Allen of Abbeydale (Crossbench) 08:46 2nd Lord Lucas of Chilworth (Conservative) 12:14 Lord Charteris of Amisfield (Crossbench) 13:40 Lord Broxbourne (Conservative) tries to speak 13:44 Noble Lords 13:49 Lord Willis (Labour) 18:03 Lord Ardwick (Labour) 18:29 Lord Willis (Labour) 18:36 Lord Broxbourne (Conservative) 22:32 16th Baroness Strange (Conservative) 24:31 Lord Boyd-Carpenter (Conservative) 26:28 Lord Jenkin of Roding (Conservative) 28:51 Baroness Llewelyn-Davies of Hastoe (Labour) 30:00 Lord Williams of Elvel (Labour) 32:40 3rd Lord Beaverbrook (Lord in Waiting [HM Government Whip], Conservative) 38:40 Lord Callaghan of Cardiff (Labour) 40:57 Lord Hailsham of Saint Marylebone (Conservative) 40:59 Lord Callaghan of Cardiff (Labour) 41:57 Question Put 42:04 AMENDMENT 401 42:10 3rd Lord Beaverbrook (Lord in Waiting [HM Government Whip], Conservative) 42:12 Question put 42:20 AMENDMENT 402, and the House continues with the Report Stage...