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10/06/2008: "Google pays Library of Congress $3 MILLION for Orphan Works Legislation"
Orphan Works: Connect the Dots
9.30.08
1. Web firms quietly win copyright victory in Congress
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) Sept 29 -- As the media turned its attention last weekend to battles on Capitol Hill over the fate of the proposed Wall Street bailout bill, Internet companies including Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. quietly walked away with a legislative victory that could facilitate their use of copyrighted material.
The Senate on Friday passed the Orphan Works Act of 2008, legislation that weakens copyright protection for works whose owners cannot be located. The legislation has now been referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
The legislation requires only that a company make a "reasonably diligent" search to locate a copyright owner before using their work in media including the Internet, and limits compensation required for the use of an infringed work.
Orphan Works: Connect the Dots
9.30.08
1. Web firms quietly win copyright victory in Congress
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) Sept 29 -- As the media turned its attention last weekend to battles on Capitol Hill over the fate of the proposed Wall Street bailout bill, Internet companies including Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. quietly walked away with a legislative victory that could facilitate their use of copyrighted material.
The Senate on Friday passed the Orphan Works Act of 2008, legislation that weakens copyright protection for works whose owners cannot be located. The legislation has now been referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
The legislation requires only that a company make a "reasonably diligent" search to locate a copyright owner before using their work in media including the Internet, and limits compensation required for the use of an infringed work.
-By John Letzing, MarketWatch Sept. 29, 2008
www.marketwatch.com/news/story/web-firms-quietly-win-copyright/story.aspx?guid={E21206C0-98F5-459B-9506-8133CBD82859}&dist=hpts
2. Google Acknowledges Copyright Infringement Claims Could Harm Business
ILLUSTRATORS PARTNERSHIP Sept 30 -- In March 2007, Google filed a mandatory 10-Q Filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In it, they acknowledged: "copyright claims filed against us [by copyright owners] alleging that features of certain of our products and services, including Google Web Search, Google News, Google Video, Google Image Search, Google Book Search and YouTube, infringe their rights."
Google admitted that "[a]dverse results in these lawsuits may include awards of substantial monetary damages, costly royalty or licensing agreements or orders preventing us from offering certain functionalities, and may also result in a change in our business practices, which could result in a loss of revenue for us or otherwise harm our business." (Italics added.)
--Brad Holland and Cynthia Turner, Illustrators Partnership
investor.google.com/documents/20070331_10-Q.html
3. Google Sees Value in Orphan Works
ILLUSTRATORS PARTNERSHIP March 8, 2006 -- At the Copyright Office's Orphan Works Roundtables, July 26-27, 2005, Alexander MacGilivray of Google stated:
"The thing that I would encourage the Copyright Office to consider is not just the very, very small scale -the one user who wants to make use of the [orphan] work - but also the very, very large scale - and talking in the millions of works. - page 21
"Google strongly believes that these orphan works are both worthwhile, useful, and extremely valuable." - page 119
"We expect that our use of these orphan works will likely be in the 1 million works range..." (Italics added.) - page 166
"[W]e know that many of them [orphan works] will be in the public domain, that most of their authors won't care. But there are a few [authors] that really will care and they will come forward [to claim authorship] and it will be extremely inefficient for us." (Italics added.) -page 166
(Page numbers are from Copyright Office transcripts.)
Orphan Works Roundtables were held by the US Copyright Office July 26-7, 2005 in Washington DC
www.copyright.gov/orphan/transcript/0726LOC.PDF
4. Google Donates $3 Million to U.S. Library of Congress
Australian IT Nov 23, 2005 -- The U.S. Library of Congress is kicking off a campaign to work with other nation's libraries to build a World Digital Library, starting with a $US3 million donation from Google.
-Eric Auchard in San Francisco | November 23, 2005
australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,17339145%5E15409%5E%5Enbv%5E15306-15322,00.html
TAKE ACTION: EMAIL CONGRESS NOW
http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/issues/alert/?alertid=11980321
Please post or forward this message immediately to any interested party.
_
For news and information:
Illustrators' Partnership Orphan Works Blog: ipaorphanworks.blogspot.com/
Over 75 organizations oppose this bill, representing over half a million creators. Illustrators, photographers, fine artists, songwriters, musicians, and countless licensing firms all believe this bill will harm their small businesses.
U.S. Creators and the image-making public can email Congress through the Capwiz site: capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/ 2 minutes is all it takes to tell the U.S. Congress to uphold copyright protection for the world's artists.
INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS please fax these 4 U.S. State Agencies and appeal to your home representatives for intervention. www.illustratorspartnership.org/01_topics/article.php?searchterm=00267
CALL CONGRESS: 1-800-828-0498. Tell the U.S. Capitol Switchboard Operator "I would like to leave a message for Congressperson that I oppose the Orphan Works Act." The switchboard operator will patch you through to the lawmaker's office and often take a message which also gets passed on to the lawmaker. Once you're put through tell your Representative the message again.
If you received our mail as a forwarded message, and wish to be added to our mailing list, email us at: illustratorspartnership@cnymail.com Place "Add Name" in the subject line, and provide your name and the email address you want used in the message area.
STOP THE ORPHAN WORKS ACT NOW.
Replies: 21 Comments
on Thursday, November 20th, walt said
Got this from the Illustrators partnership this afternoon.
11.20.08
The lame duck session that started yesterday recessed abruptly this morning. Lawmakers plan to reconvene December 8th, subject to the Chair's discretion. We don't know how long they'll be in session when they return and economic developments could bring them back sooner.
We'll keep our eyes peeled, our ears open and update you when we learn more. In the meantime, have a great Thanksgiving, rest up and get ready for another bumpy ride. Thanks to all of you for your dedication and perseverance.
- Brad Holland and Cynthia Turner, for the Board of the Illustrators' Partnership
______________________________________________________
on Wednesday, November 19th, walt said
Here is the latest update from the Illustrators partFROM THE ILLUSTRATORS' PARTNERSHIP
Orphan Works Update: Congress has reconvened today.
11.19.08
They're scheduled to be in session until Friday, although that could change. And although sponsors of the Orphan Works bill say publicly that it won't come up, sources have told us they'll try to use the lame duck session to pass it by means of another back room deal.
Currently the situation in Washington is fluid, but if deals are being made, they'll be made before the bill is placed on the Suspensions calendar. Then they'll try to pass it immediately. How we respond will depend on developments. But while we keep watch, consider this news from the National Journal, Nov. 12, 2008:
Conyers To Abolish IP Subcommittee On Judiciary Panel
by Andrew Noyes
"House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers will abolish the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property in the new Congress and instead keep intellectual property issues at the full committee level, a Judiciary aide told CongressDaily today."
This is the subcommittee that spawned the Orphan Works Act and placed it on the "Rocket Docket." Yet remember last spring, when those lobbying for this bill warned us that unless we accepted it - no matter how bad it was - that the next chairman of the Subcommittee would be a copyright foe and would pass a worse one? Well, now the Subcommittee itself won't exist. So much for urging artists to bet against themselves!
This bill is very controversial. It would strip ordinary citizens of their intellectual property rights without due process. This is no way to pass legislation that would radically change US property laws. The bill can be fixed, but there is no time to fix it in a lame duck session. Stay tuned.
- Brad Holland and Cynthia Turner, for the Board of the Illustrators' Partnership
______________________________________________________________
Over 80 organizations oppose this bill, representing over half a million creators.
U.S. Creators and the image-making public can email Congress through the Capwiz site: capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/ 2 minutes is all it takes to tell the U.S. Congress to uphold copyright protection for the world's artists.
INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS please fax these 4 U.S. State Agencies and appeal to your home representatives for intervention. www.illustratorspartnership.org/01_topics/article.php?searchterm=00267
CALL CONGRESS: 1-800-828-0498. Tell the U.S. Capitol Switchboard Operator "I would like to leave a message for Congressperson __________ that I oppose the Orphan Works Act." The switchboard operator will patch you through to the lawmaker's office and often take a message which also gets passed on to the lawmaker. Once you're put through tell your Representative the message again.
If you received our mail as a forwarded message, and wish to be added to our mailing list, email us at: illustratorspartnership@cnymail.com Place "Add Name" in the subject line, and provide your name and the email address you want used in the message area. Illustrators, photographers, fine artists, songwriters, musicians, and countless licensing firms all believe this bill will harm their small businesses.
Please post or forward this message to any interested party.
STOP THE U.S. ORPHAN WORKS ACT NOW.
nership on the Orphan Works Bill:
on Monday, November 17th, walt said
Nazia,
I'm sorry but it has been muddied. There are a number of web site links to give you more information on this subject. At the moment the bill is sitting on a back burner. So while a number of groups are watching it to see what will happen next there doesn't seem to be much movement. The following link will have more information if you like.
www.illustratorspartnership.org/01_topics/article.php?searchterm=00267
on Friday, November 14th, Nazia said
This topic is not clear. The author make clear this topic.
on Thursday, November 13th, Nazia said
Struggle of artist is very well.
on Monday, October 13th, bmm said
Don - that's kind of the long way around to getting back to where we have been - there is no need to create more ways to drain us of our income by having to register all our life's work's and pay a fee. But, either way, if I steal your art - now - or afterwards, if the Orphan Law was passed as it is represented today - either way, an artist (you) would still have a remedy to sue my ass (art thief) for stealing your copyrighted work.
on Friday, October 10th, Don said
Bring it on!
Abolish copyrights!
Copy the crap out of my work!
Spread ripped off copies of my work everywhere!
They will be my advertising!
Those ripped copies will advertise my work!
My original is gold!
I will trade gold for gold!
Come and get 'em!
Here kitty kitty kitty!
on Friday, October 10th, Don said
No copyrights...
Everyone free to rip off (copy) everything.
The market gets flooded...inundated...with fake ripped off copies...
Fakes...fakes...everywhere
The original then shines like a diamond !!!
The original becomes the gold tender of the art market once again !!!! Everyone will yearn once again for the source of those copies....the original !!!!!!
on Thursday, October 9th, walt said
Don said...
Wrongo Walto! The value of prints will go down and the value of the original will rise when copyright law is abolished.
Don, can you explain to us how that will happen?
on Thursday, October 9th, walt said
Wasn't hiding anything. The post from the IPA had new information. My blog. Do what I want with it.
on Thursday, October 9th, ron said
triple post was accident...sorry
on Thursday, October 9th, Ron said
Wrongo Walto! The value of prints will go down and the value of the original will rise when copyright law is abolished.
Go ahead and try to hide the comments with another long copied article.
on Thursday, October 9th, Ron said
Wrongo Walto! The value of prints will go down and the value of the original will rise when copyright law is abolished.
Go ahead and try to hide the comments with another long copied article.
on Thursday, October 9th, Ron said
Wrongo Walto! The value of prints will go down and the value of the original will rise when copyright law is abolished.
Go ahead and try to hide the comments with another long copied article.
on Thursday, October 9th, walt said
What Don isn't telling you is that once copyright law is undone then anyone can reproduce your work for profit. There will be 1000 times the number of cheap prints out there. Your work might be included among them. Now you'll be competing against yourself. How does that help artists? It only helps those who do have the money to hire lawyers. Google, Microsoft, Getty... they will profit while your work looses its value due to a flooding of the market. Think about it.
FROM THE ILLUSTRATORS' PARTNERSHIP
Orphan Works: A Public Knowledge Postmortem
10.9.08
"Orphan works relief was vigorously opposed by visual artists... And while we have thought some of their concerns misguided, they did a fine job of organizing and getting their voices heard."
That was the rueful conclusion Monday from the President of Public Knowledge. She was conducting a postmortem on her blog to explain why their last minute efforts to pass the Orphan Works Act failed last week.
Public Knowledge is one of the key special interest groups driving orphan works legislation. And while interested parties around the country were being told all week that the bill was dead, she now confirms that there was a secret last minute push to pass it:
"[W]ith the country's financial crisis raging [she writes] and Congress in the middle of deliberations over a bill to rescue our financial institutions, there was still an opportunity to get a bill done. But how? The best option was to get either House Courts, Internet and Intellectual Property Subcommittee Chairman Berman or House Judiciary Committee Chairman Conyers to take the Senate bill that passed and put it on the 'suspension calendar,' which is the place largely non-controversial legislation gets put so that it will get passed quickly. There can be no amendments to bills placed on the suspension calendar, but it needs a 2/3 majority to pass (italics added).
"On Saturday, September 27," she continues, she and others "were on the phone imploring the members to move the bill...":
"The negotiations went on for hours and hours on Thursday into Friday, but in the end, PK, working with the user community (libraries, documentary filmmakers, educational institutions and the College Art Association) could not agree with [sic] on language with the House staff. Late Friday afternoon, the House voted in favor of a bailout bill and everybody went home. Time had run out." www.publicknowledge.org/node/1783
Public Knowledge has a "Six Point Program" to undo existing copyright law. "Orphan Works Reform" is Number 5. www.publicknowledge.org/node/1245 And while they're "disappointed" they weren't able to pass the bill this session, she advises supporters to "focus on what positive things came out of the process, so [they] can move forward quickly next year."
PK says artists have learned their lesson
In her opinion, one of the "positive things" to "come out of the process" is that:
"[V]isual artists, graphic designers and textile manufacturers who opposed orphan works relief now understand that they must change their business models." (Italics added.)
Artists "must change their business models"? Is that a sound we hear from inside the Trojan Horse?
Whatever happened to the claim that this bill was only a minor tweak to copyright law - to let libraries and museums digitize their collections of old work - or let families duplicate photos of grandma?
That was the argument lawmakers heard last spring, when the bill was rolled out suddenly, scripted for quick and easy passage. But now that the anti-copyright lobby has had to fight for it, they've dropped their guard. Now it's time to openly lecture artists that the world is changing and we'd better get used to registering our work with privately owned "databases" -- at least if we want to ensure that our works won't become orphaned.
But of course that was the agenda all along.
PK says not all artists are misguided
PK's President wants Congress to know that not all artists are "misguided" - only those that oppose the bill. Currently, 80 professional groups do.
By contrast, she cites the Graphic Artists Guild as an example of artists who have learned their lesson. She praises GAG as "enlightened," because GAG supported the House version of the bill. She quotes a recent letter from GAG's President in which he admonished artists to "get real about this Orphan Works scare":
"I don't think Orphan Works is going to have a dramatic influence on how we do business [he wrote], but I hope it has awakened us all to the importance of tending to business issues. If we as a community invested a fraction of the energy we've expended on an apocalyptic vision of Orphan Works into protecting our own creations, protesting unfair contracting practices or writing letters to low-paying publishers, we'd be in a far better market position than we are today. The fact is that we give away more in the every day practice of our businesses than the government could ever take from us."
We replied to the GAG letter weeks ago, when it was first circulated to artists. We obviously disagree. Indeed, we'd point out that what the community of artists is doing by opposing this bill is "protecting our own creations":
* The Orphan works bill would have a dramatic affect on business, because it would let people infringe our work without our knowledge, consent or payment.
* Most people who succeed in our field do "treat art as a business."
* People who are bad at business can't be used as proof that successful people must change their business models.
* You can't justify exposing an artists' property to theft by telling him he didn't write enough "letters to low-paying publishers."
* What artists do or don't "give away" on their own doesn't justify government's taking anything from them.
* It's counter-intuitive to tell small business owners we should accept a bill that's bad for business to prove that we've "awakened to the importance of tending to business."
* If we don't fight to keep the work we create, that would be the ultimate failure to tend to business.
A full response to the entire GAG letter is here: ipaorphanworks.blogspot.com/2008/09/orphan-works-why-bet-against-ourselves.html
The Orphan Works Act was based on a premise and a conclusion:
* The premise is that the public is being harmed because it doesn't have enough contact information to locate copyright owners.
* The conclusion is that artists must change their business models.
* What's lacking is any evidence in between.
The Orphan Works Act was based on recommendations by the Copyright Office. But the Copyright Office studied the specific subject of orphaned work. They did not study the business models of artists who are alive, working and managing their copyrights. That means there can be no meaningful conclusions drawn from their study to dictate that such artists must change their business models.
From the beginning, artists have said we'd support a true orphan works bill. We've submitted precise amendments that would make one out of this bill. ipaorphanworks.blogspot.com/2008/07/hr-5889-amendments.html Our amendments have never been considered.
Instead, as PK's President noted in her postmortem, their last minute strategy for passing the bill would have "put it on the 'suspension calendar.'" And "[t]here can be no amendments to bills placed on the suspension calendar..."
The anti-copyright lobby is well funded. They have powerful backers. They've warned us they'll be back next year.
We should take them at their word.
- Brad Holland and Cynthia Turner, for the Board of the Illustrators' Partnership
______________________________________________________________
Over 80 organizations oppose this bill, representing over half a million creators.
U.S. Creators and the image-making public can email Congress through the Capwiz site: capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/ 2 minutes is all it takes to tell the U.S. Congress to uphold copyright protection for the world's artists.
INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS please fax these 4 U.S. State Agencies and appeal to your home representatives for intervention. www.illustratorspartnership.org/01_topics/article.php?searchterm=00267
CALL CONGRESS: 1-800-828-0498. Tell the U.S. Capitol Switchboard Operator "I would like to leave a message for Congressperson __________ that I oppose the Orphan Works Act." The switchboard operator will patch you through to the lawmaker's office and often take a message which also gets passed on to the lawmaker. Once you're put through tell your Representative the message again.
If you received our mail as a forwarded message, and wish to be added to our mailing list, email us at: illustratorspartnership@cnymail.com Place "Add Name" in the subject line, and provide your name and the email address you want used in the message area. Illustrators, photographers, fine artists, songwriters, musicians, and countless licensing firms all believe this bill will harm their small businesses.
Please post or forward this message to any interested party.
STOP THE U.S. ORPHAN WORKS ACT NOW.
on Thursday, October 9th, Don said
I have been a full time fine artist for 30 years. That's all I do. My images have been ripped off. I couldn't afford an attorney, so you know what? Copyrights are useless! Commericial artists, as illustrators are, bully people 'cause they can afford lawyers.
I say the image gets sold ONCE and only ONCE! Then that image is free to the public! Go get your digital camera and have fun! Go have fun that this FREE country allows! Copyrights strangle freedom! Get rid of them!
on Thursday, October 9th, Don said
This is good legislation! It is right on track in getting rid of copyrights alltogether.
Copyrights hurt fine artists. Fine artists sell original works....ONCE! When illustrators flood the market with their cheap multiple copies, It takes away from the fine artist who sells their work...ONCE! People buy cheap copies before even looking for original work.
Go cry in your milk if you don't drink bourbon you illustrators! FINALLY, the start of justice for the fine artist!
on Wednesday, October 8th, Walt said
Thanks for the update Brad. Again, it is important to understand that this is not an Illustrators issue only. Many artists of all walks make some of their existance from their copyrights. Many fine artists are doing all sorts of things these days to pick up some extra cash to get by. Their images are often useable in a variety of forms from reproductions to use as illustration. Everyone understands that flooding the market with ones imagery does not mean ones work goes up in value. So controling when and where your work is published, exhibited, whether some makes changes to your image...these are all aspects of your copyright control. So this bill could hurt every artist, not just illustrators. In fact there doesn't seem to be anything in this law that would benefit artists of any sort really. But Google will benefit and an entire new industry designed to charge us fees for making our work findable so we are protected...in a sense from copyright law itself. I find that quite absurd.
on Wednesday, October 8th, Brad Michael Moore said
Don is entitled to his opinion - but he can keep his Burbon for himself - thre are many who do not agree with Don...
FROM THE ILLUSTRATORS' PARTNERSHIP 7 October 2008
Orphan Works: The Big Internet Factor
On October 2, several professional organizations sent a letter to every member of Congress, calling attention to the role of big internet companies in orphan works legislation. Here's an excerpt:
"We believe these bills mask an effort by Big Internet companies to profit by undermining existing global intellectual property rights protections...
"The lobbying efforts to promote this legislation pit small entrepreneurs and artists of all kinds against some of the largest and most well-financed Internet powerhouses in America...
"We find it deeply disturbing that the U.S. Copyright Office has so clearly and unambiguously advocated legislation that will privilege large commercial interests such as Google at the expense of creators and the countless small businesses that serve, and are dependent on the creative community.
"We find this even more troubling in light of Google's substantial contribution to the Library of Congress at a time when the Copyright Office was preparing its Orphan Works recommendations -- and at a time when Google had acknowledged to the SEC that its financial well-being is dependent on a business model that has already engendered multiple lawsuits for copyright infringement totaling billions of dollars.
"Google and other large database, advertising and search engine companies clearly have a major financial stake in the weakening of copyright law through new legislation. The Orphan Works Acts, if enacted in either of its current forms, would solve the problem that has vexed so many start-up internet companies: how to make money by giving away free content. By opening the door to potentially billions of "permitted" infringements of protected copyrights, this legislation would allow Big Internet to create an entirely new business model, by licensing content they don't have to pay for - through the digitizing, archiving and monetizing of the intellectual property of ordinary citizens."
To read the full letter go to: ipaorphanworks dot blogspot dot com, and search for orphan-works-big-internet-factor.
The letter is signed by representatives of:
The Illustrators' Partnership of America
The Advertising Photographers of America
The Artists Foundation
The National Writers Union
pro-imaging.org
The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists
The National Cartoonists Society
on Monday, October 6th, Don said
Good!
Passing this bill is right on track to getting rid of copyrights altogether!
Go cry in your bourbon you illustrators! For the rest of us this is good legislation.
.
.
on Monday, October 6th, walt said
On Oct 3rd we got word that those pressing this bill through Congress intended to try to slip it through at the last minute. HFROM THE ILLUSTRATORS' PARTNERSHIP
An Unprecedented Grassroots Response
10.6.08
Thank you to everyone who wrote, phoned and faxed Congress during the last hectic weeks. Speaking virtually with one voice, artists have rejected the Orphan Works Act.
Does that mean it's dead? No. Far from it. Lobbyists will continue to promote it, this Congress may yet find a way to pass it, and if not, it will be back when the next Congress convenes in January.
So what happened last week and what does it mean?
All week we'd been getting assurances from various sources that the Orphan Works bill was dead for this session. Experience suggested we not bank on that. Vigilance was the word last Thursday night.
Then, as if following the previous week's script - with Congress struggling to pass the bailout package, with Congressional offices closed and a televised debate set to start - we suddenly got word from a reliable source that the House leadership had decided to try moving the bill that night. Minutes later we got a confirmation from our lobbyist on Capitol Hill. We put out our first Alert.
All night Thursday and throughout the day Friday we and our colleagues continued to call the offices of key members of the House Judiciary Committee.
Their legislative aides gave us conflicting reports. Some assured us the bill was not on the calendar. Others confirmed that House and Senate leaders were trying to reach a compromise. Others acknowledged that the bill could be added to the calendar once an agreement had been reached.
By mid afternoon Friday the bill hadn't passed and we received word from our lobbyist:
"No leadership decision on adjournment time yet . . . will be forthcoming . . . if they don't adjourn sine die today (and they won't), the Judiciary Committee Chairman, the Speaker and the Whip could, indeed, bring something like that back during a Lame Duck [session], if there is one [after the elections in November]."
So once again, vigilance is the word.
Catch 22
What many people don't realize is that true opponents to the Orphan Works Act have had to labor under a Catch 22.
In 2006, when the bill was first introduced in the House, the then-Chairman warned that any group which opposed it would be "ignored" and "left behind." Accordingly, only interest groups that agree to support the bill without fundamental changes have been allowed a voice in its drafting. Catch 22.
This is why the House bill has grown into a complicated piece of legislation. In addition to the databases where copyright owners would have to register their work, the House bill calls for the creation of a privately owned Infringers' archive, sanctioned by the Copyright Office, where infringers would file a Notice of Intent to infringe works.
But a database where infringers can register their paperwork won't protect your work - it can still be infringed. In fact, as a for-profit enterprise, the Archive will be in business to promote infringements. Its inclusion in the bill will simply give middlemen a chance to create the Archive, cutting themselves in as additional beneficiaries of the legislation.
As a result of this Catch 22, true opposition to the bill has had to come from the grassroots. We've had to fight against it from the outside. And as a cottage industry, we don't have the lobbying resources of Big Internet firms and others.
Last spring we were warned not to oppose the bill at all because we'd be "rolled over" if we tried. But since then, more than 75 professional organizations have come together to oppose it. This represents more than half a million rights holders - and the number is growing daily as more people find out about it. This grassroots response has been unprecedented in the history of our field.
Where do we go from here?
The problem with this legislation remains its central premise: It creates the public's right to use your work as a default right, available to anyone whenever you fail to make yourself sufficiently available for them to find.
This is a radical change to the way our government views private property. And we cannot see surrendering the exclusive right to the work we create to have a "seat at the table" of those dismantling that right. So, as we extend our most sincere thanks to all of you for your quick and heartfelt responses over the last weeks we hope to build on that momentum in the weeks ahead.
For the next month, lawmakers will be home campaigning: every member of the House is up for reelection. This means it would be the time for artists in each district to schedule a personal appointment with their representative. Write them and fax them at their home offices. Meet with them if you can. We'll post talking points on our blog: ipaorphanworks.blogspot.com/
Tell them that you'd support a true Orphan Works bill, and refer them to the Amendments submitted to the House Subcommittee on July 11 by the Illustrators' Partnership, Artists Rights Society and Advertising Photographers of America. ipaorphanworks.blogspot.com/2008/07/hr-5889-amendments.html If the real goal of this legislation is to benefit libraries and museums, our amendments suggest a precise way to do it.
_______________________________________________________________
Over 75 organizations oppose this bill, representing over half a million creators.
U.S. Creators and the image-making public can email Congress through the Capwiz site: capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/ 2 minutes is all it takes to tell the U.S. Congress to uphold copyright protection for the world's artists.
INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS please fax these 4 U.S. State Agencies and appeal to your home representatives for intervention. illustratorspartnership.org/01_topics/article.php?searchterm=00267
CALL CONGRESS: 1-800-828-0498. Tell the U.S. Capitol Switchboard Operator "I would like to leave a message for Congressperson __________ that I oppose the Orphan Works Act." The switchboard operator will patch you through to the lawmaker's office and often take a message which also gets passed on to the lawmaker. Once you're put through tell your Representative the message again.
If you received our mail as a forwarded message, and wish to be added to our mailing list, email us at: illustratorspartnership@cnymail.com Place "Add Name" in the subject line, and provide your name and the email address you want used in the message area. Illustrators, photographers, fine artists, songwriters, musicians, and countless licensing firms all believe this bill will harm their small businesses.
Please post or forward this message to any interested party.
STOP THE U.S. ORPHAN WORKS ACT NOW.
ere is an update from the IPA I received today.
