In my mailbox:
BAD BILL IN CONGRESS - NEEDS TO BE STOPPED!
There is a horrible bill being passed in Congress regarding copyright laws in our country. If it makes it through both the Senate and House all artists may lose the rights to their artwork. Big corporations who have more money will be able to go around and buy up artists' work and keep them from selling their work or making a profit. Please sign the petition against this bill.
It was brought to my attention by a good friend and I'm passing it on to my group. If you are an artist, or know an artist, please send them the links below so they can sign the petition against this up and coming law that will hurt all artists, photographers, musicians, etc. Here's the link:
http://www.petitiononline.com/Stop2913/petition.html
To find out more about what others are saying:
http://digg.com/business_finance/CORPORATE_THEFT_THE_ORPHAN_WORKS_BILL
http://www.owoh.org
The Orphan Works Opposition Headquarters
Thanks for this update. When I received this email I thought it was over with last summer, but not taking the time to check it out, this is what came out.
It would be great if you could keep me up to date on this issue and help me get the word out correctly on important issues affecting the arts and artists.
The bill is prompted by publishing companies wanting to use/scan print books with photos, illustrations, drawings and paintings and make them available for sale digitally. Great but they can't because they own only printed or one-time rights to the works and not digital rights (which didn't exist until only recently). With this bill, they could avoid anything more than a cursory search to find (and pay) the copyright owner of the work. And, of course, this applies to any work they find anywhere and want to use. Can you imagine if they come across a work of yours and "can't find you" so that gives them the right to take it over? I have written to my congresspeople, including Obama, my former senator, but their responses did not give me confidence that they are against this bill. I am afraid of this. Corporations -- if you find a work but don't know who created it, then you are very sure that you did not create it and cannot own it!!
Comments
It would be great if you could keep me up to date on this issue and help me get the word out correctly on important issues affecting the arts and artists.