Distressed about hotlining of Orphan Works Bill
If you have any art on the internet, you should be worried.
The Orphan Works Bill was hotlined and passed through the senate last week. With the congressional rules suspended due to the economic crisis, as few as two people can pass this bill in the house and send it to the president.
What does this mean? We are perilously close to losing our ability to protect our work from being used without our permission. All it takes is for someone to save one of our images on the internet, post it to some other site without our information, and anyone who comes along to use it can easily show they were unable to locate the creator of that art (all they have to say is that they used “due diligence,” which, on the internet is easy since there is no good visual indentification system) and therefore the art is “orphaned.” They can then use it however they please.
An excellent overview of the law is at Capwiz.com
Please take a moment to call or email your congressman and express your opposition to the bill. Here are critical congressmen to contact:
THE HOUSE ORPHAN WORKS BILL (H.R. 5889)
IS MOVING IN THE HOUSE NOW
DELAHUNT Phone (202) 225 3111 Fax (202) 225-5658
Phone: (617) 770-3700 Fax: (617) 770-2984
CONYERS Phone: (202) 225-5126 Fax: (202) 225-0072
Phone: (313) 961-5670 Fax: (313) 226-2085
NADLER Phone: (202) 225-5635 Fax: (202) 225-6923
Phone: (212) 367-7350 Fax: (212) 367-7356
BERMAN Phone: (202) 225-4695 Fax: (202) 225-3196
Phone: (818) 994-7200 Fax: (818) 994-1050
courier
Deanna – thanks for the vital information. I’m sure there are many who will respond thanks to your information.