Short story: I’m getting emails from various artist sources about this bill, which - supposedly - is pending before Congress, on a fast track for passage before summer recess, and will render life for artists and other creative types unprofitable and worthless because any douchebag who wants to will be able to rip off our image copyrights.
Long story: an “Orphaned Works” bill was before Congress in 2006 but did not pass at that time. The idea is to allow things that have been in apparent copyright forever (decades) and for which no clear copyright owner exists to enter the public domain. The Copyright office appears to be legitimately concerned about how to handle this situation (who owns the copyright on your parents’ wedding photos? could you even find the original photographer?) without endangering current creative image generation.
The story that is generating all the hysteria, due to its “THE SKY IS FALLING OMG” tone, is: http://mag.awn.com/index.php?ltype=pageone&article_no=3605&page=1
A lucid post - and pretty much a complete rebuttal to the panic and FUD - is at http://maradydd.livejournal.com/374886.html.
Basically, this post affirms that our current state of affairs - I have a copyright on any painting of mine the instant I finish it - will remain the same. And that it’s my problem to track down anyone with the temerity to infringe my copyright (again, as it is now). Please read the Radio Free Meredith post . . . and breath a sigh of relief. But of course, it’s worth staying informed on the issue.
Tags: legislation
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April 16th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
I’ve gotten a couple of semi-hysterical emails about this, the latest from the SAA. Did you get that one? It seemed kinda too bad to be true and it appears, from what you are saying that that is, in fact, the case. It’s become almost an artist’s urban belief tale that has taken on a life of it’s own. I think too many people are still taking whatever shows up on the internet at face value instead of with a grain, or ten, of salt. Hope you’re having fun at the agility events. Sure you’re getting plenty of exercise
April 17th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Yes, I received the SAA email as well as one from another artist - and it sounded so amazingly bad that I had to dig a little further. I’m glad I did! I suppose I should write back to the SAA on this issue…
And yes, agility season is starting up! loads of fun and keeps my head on straight - can’t think about art when I have 40 seconds or less to navigate a complicated Excellent-level course with my nutty German Shepherd who runs at the speed of light and needs directions RIGHT NOW or she’ll be headed for an off-course. Sometime I’ll post videos on my blog.
April 17th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
It may not be, but this sounds a lot like one of those e-mail hoaxes that bounce around forever.
It has the same “smell” to it.
May 18th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
[…] touched on this subject a few weeks ago (see this post) and, at the time, it seemed the hysteria was unfounded. There is now actually legislation before […]