The Beatles' record label is set to release 59 unheard Beatles' recordings to stop their copyrights from expiring and to prevent other companies from profiting off them.
The master tape of The Beatles' debut record 'Please Please Me' is protected until 2033 under current European Union copyright law, which reserves the rights of officially released recordings for 70 years, the BBC reported.
However, recordings without official releases are only protected for 50 years.
Therefore hypothetically, if Apple Records does not sell the recordings before 2014, someone else could release these tracks and turn a profit.