The Orphan Works Act of 2008 is released. The language in the draft confirms our warnings. If this bill passes, you'll be forced to clear all your secondary licensing rights through at least two government certified databases – or risk orphaning your art.
Despite its masquerade as the "last resort" to search for a rights owner, these databases will likely become the only source many users will rely on for finding a rights owner. Reason: it will give users the legal right to infringe any copyright not in the databases.
We're working with our attorney now to prepare opposition letters.
We have contracted CapWiz, a service that will allow you to send these letters to Congress with a push of the button.
CapWiz will also provide us with "digital stickers" that anyone else - organizations, individual artists, blogs, etc. - can put on their sites that create a direct link to the command center to write their Congressman and Senators to defeat this radical change to U.S. Copyright law
Please stay tuned and we'll tell you in a day or so what you can do to register your opposition.
For additional background on Orphan Works, go to the IPA Orphan Works Resource Page for Artists
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.
Both House and Senate versions of the Orphan Works Act of 2008 can be downloaded from the IPA homepage:
Many groups are coming together to oppose this bill. We're preparing letters you can customize and send to your representatives through our push-button link. Please stay tuned and we'll give you the tools we need to make our voices heard.
For additional background on Orphan Works, go to the IPA Orphan Works Resource Page for Artists
Recent History of Orphan Works:
On April 5th, 2008, Mark Simon interviewed Brad Holland of the Illustrator's Partnership about the Orphan Works bill and how it affects every artist and photographer in the world.
YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO THIS because you are about to lose your copyright protection. Every one of you needs to stand up and be heard in order to protect what we have all created.
Please forward this information to every creative person and group you know. Copy and transfer this audio file and play it so that everyone may learn about what is going on.
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