copyright legislation back on the table
Did you know that new legislation is being discussed and soon to be voted on that actually makes it easier for others to infringe on your copyrights?? And you should know "the other side" is working very hard to make this a reality. They want to set the bar lower for what an individual or organization has to do to prove they made a reasonable search for the artist who created the work they want to use, avoiding getting permission from or paying compensation to the artist.
It's Orphan Works legislation time again, and for all of us who earn our livings selling the usage rights to our artwork, it's time to stand up and be counted. If you aren't already aware of this issue, visit The Illustrators' Partnership website for more information and links.
Here's an exerpt from a statement by Brad Holland and Cynthia Turner to The Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property at the U.S. House of Representatives, March 20, 2008
Under this legislation, as we understand it, effective copyright control to a work, including works of visual art, would require submission of a copy or copies of the work to as yet-to-be created private registration companies that would use untested technologies to scan images submitted by unlicensed users. These users would then be excused from any liability for infringement unless the legitimate rights holder responded within a certain period of time to grant or deny permission to use the copyrighted work. This is a radical departure from any existing business models or practices in the field of copyright.Further, it radically abridges the fundamental principal of exclusive rights granted to creators under the copyright law, and creates a sweeping compulsory license permitting large scale unauthorized use of not only older works, the provenance of which may be difficult to determine, but also of the valuable contemporary works that are the economic life blood of those in our profession.
Soon the IPA will be asking for artists to write to their representatives in congress - without the support of individual artists, our representatives will naturally be convinced that we don't really care. So please visit this link to the homepage on the IPA's website and sign up in the box at the bottom of the page to join the email list. This way, you can stay up to date on the progress of the legislation and you will know when to send emails and letters to your representatives.
Back in 2006, when this bill first came before the committee, artists and photographers voiced their concerns and it was tabled for more discussion and work, so it's time for our attention once again. Anyone who draws pictures for a living knows what a great job it is, even when we struggle to make a living - we certainly can't afford new laws that will make it even more difficult! Thanks for reading this, and please pass it along...
Has it been over a month? not a single post? Whoa. I confess I'm pretty overwhelmed these days with lots of deadlines, and of course that's a good thing! I'll share some results soon when things have been published, but for now, I'm just showing a little piece of something I did for a local client, different from my usual illustration work, a little foray into design for Beehive Hair Co. We are working on packaging for a line of hair products - and they all smell amazing! I'm going to take pictures of the bottles on their shelves soon and in the meantime, I'm enjoying the contents. If you are in Atlanta, check out 
