Controversial Legislation Topic at Comics Symposium

KIRTLAND, Ohio (Mar. 5, 2009)— Renown illustrator C.F. Payne will talk about proposed federal legislation that independent illustrators, cartoonists and artists say takes away their copyright protection on April 4 at the Lakeland Community College Comics Symposium.

Payne, who has illustrated for Time, Esquire, Reader’s Digest and The New York Times, will detail the impact of “Orphan Works” bills, which allow for legitimate use of work for which it is difficult or impossible to locate the copyright holder. Orphan work applies to art, drawing, photograph, commercial work, written or even oral history that cannot be attributed to the work’s creator.

The legislation is of interest to a wide variety of groups including historians, museums and libraries. Groups opposing the proposed legislation say it puts an undue burden on the copyright holder to register the work to maintain the protections set forth in the 1976 Copyright Act.

Payne will discuss the need for such legislation and offer his solutions for the most fair and effective legislation to address orphaned work matters.

A Cincinnati-based freelance illustrator, Payne’s work also has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Boys Life, Forbes and Mad Magazine. He serves on the board of the Illustrators Partnership of America, a non-profit organization developed to educate illustrators about business, copyright and licensing issues.

Payne also will serve as a judge in the symposium's Comics Contest that invites aspiring cartoonists of all ages to submit their work for a chance at prizes and an opportunity to have their illustrations reviewed by knowledgeable professionals.

More information is available at www.academicventures.com/comics.