Write Congress To Stop The Orphan Works Bill.
While Congress has a lot on its mind, having managed to screw up The Wall Street Rescue Plan, it has also been working on making it easier for people to steal our copyrights to photos we produce. The Orphan Works Bill says that if a person makes a good faith effort to find the owner of a copyrighted image and they cannot, then he or she can use it without fear of being hit with a large lawsuit.
Today, if a person steals a copyrighted image, which is registered with the US Copyright Office, then he or she can be sued for damages of $150,000 per copyright infringement. All images are automatically copyrighted the moment the shutter clicks, but you can only get the big bucks if it is registered.
I am no copyright expert, but there is plenty of info out there - just Google “Orphan Works”
Here is a link to send a letter to your local congressmen. http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/issues/alert/?alertid=11980321
It only takes a minute and you really don’t have to write much. The Senate has already voted to pass the bill and it is now in a conference committee, but it can't hurt to write your local Senator too.
Thanks
Paul
Today, if a person steals a copyrighted image, which is registered with the US Copyright Office, then he or she can be sued for damages of $150,000 per copyright infringement. All images are automatically copyrighted the moment the shutter clicks, but you can only get the big bucks if it is registered.
I am no copyright expert, but there is plenty of info out there - just Google “Orphan Works”
Here is a link to send a letter to your local congressmen. http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/issues/alert/?alertid=11980321
It only takes a minute and you really don’t have to write much. The Senate has already voted to pass the bill and it is now in a conference committee, but it can't hurt to write your local Senator too.
Thanks
Paul
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