Saltygirl posted and bullentined this:
From: saltygirlDate: May 13, 2008 12:01 PM
copyright — The exclusive right to make copies, license, and otherwise exploit [read: garnish fame and make $$$ from] a literary, musical, or artistic work, whether printed, audio, video, etc.: works granted such right by law on or after January 1, 1978, are protected for the lifetime of the author or creator and for a period of 50 years after his or her death.
(from
dictionary. com)
orphan works — Any copyrighted works where the rights holder is hard to find. Because the cost of finding the owner is so high, creators can't build on orphan works, even when they'd be willing to pay to use them. In many cases the works were abandoned because they no longer produced any income. In most cases, rights holders, once found, are delighted to have their work used.
[Aaaaand in most cases, people don't care about finding the proper rights holders and will use the works for their own gains.
] (from http://eldred. cc)
"When any unregistered work of art can be used by anyone, why pay an artist when you can get it for free?" (from wiki regarding Orphan Works and Copyrights). This is a problem that everyone will face if we're not careful.
In the US, right now any originally created work is considered to be copyrighted automatically, but that'll all change with the new Orphan Works Bill. The new Bill will make it so that any artist/creator will have to register their works with a private company. It because the terms of the Bill are so broad, it will also make art theft a lot easier.
This concerns everyone.
You would not only have to register your published work, but also:
— Every sketch or note on every page of every sketchbook;
— Every sketch you send to every client;
— Every photograph you take anywhere, anytime, including family photos, home videos, etc.
;
— Every letter, email, etc., professional, personal or private.
Everything from the beginning concept doodle on a napkin, to the work-in-progress photos, to the finished piece will have to be registered.
How this affects the artist:
It puts the burden on the artist/creator to:
— Shell out $$$ to have their rights protected,
— Actively seek out anyone using their works without permission (yeah, good luck with that),
— And, if their work is found being used elsewhere and without permission, then prove that they are the original creators of the works.
How this affects the regular guy:
You may not think this involves you because you're not an artist or don't consider yourself as one, but it actually does. If you post a pic up on the web (who DOESN'T do this nowadays?), say, of your lil pooch from last 4th of July, that is your creation. If the Orphan Works Bill falls through, that means some random person can take your pooch pic and use it in a dog food ad and make $$$ off it. Thank you for providing FREE art, sucker. A company can take your sweet Aunt Bessie's face and make it their logo, but your sweet Aunt Bessie won't have any rights to the image of her own face. Nice.
I can't believe this is seriously being considered.
Go to this link & fill out the form. It basically composes & sends letters to your state representatives & congressmen about your concerns as an artist/creator.
It's natural for anyone want to protect what's theirs. An artist's creations can mean their livelihood, their security, their passion, their sanity, their soul. Protect your property. Protect your creations. Protect your ideas. Protect your rights.