There is a new bill going up before congress. You will have to register your artwork, everything! If it isn't registered it will be orphaned and usable by anyone. If someone else registers it, You lose!
Read this article, http://mag.awn.com/index.php?ltype=pageone...article_no=3605, at the end is information on what you can do and how you can stay informed.
The current world system is that your work is protected from inception. It works!
Get involved and make sure you are not going to get messed up.
Pass this around.
Full Version: Orphaned art works
Wow. That's just sad. 
[Not you Paulette, the bill]
[Not you Paulette, the bill]
QUOTE(paulette4 @ Apr 11 2008, 06:34 PM) [snapback]34627[/snapback]
There is a new bill going up before congress. You will have to register your artwork, everything! If it isn't registered it will be orphaned and usable by anyone. If someone else registers it, You lose!
Read this article, http://mag.awn.com/index.php?ltype=pageone...article_no=3605, at the end is information on what you can do and how you can stay informed.
The current world system is that your work is protected from inception. It works!
Get involved and make sure you are not going to get messed up.
Pass this around.
that is the craziest **** thing i ever heard..geesh..that will have an effect on EVERYTHING, now how in the **** are they suppose to get all that info and keep all that info and insure that those that need protecting are protected..omg...i can see a huge mess brewing..who sits around and comes up with this absolutlely ridiculous crap..this should really upset people and the really big artist and the lil guy too needs to respond to this outrageous nonsense..
Paulette, you & I are safe - we live outside the US.
The unfortunate thing is that we cannot lobby against this either because the US does not acknowledge petitions from people outside, on its internal matters. I found that out with a number of laws that PETA are trying to push through to restrict animal ownership. Unless you are a citizen they don't want to know what you think.
So I suppose our only saving grace is that we are still covered by copyright as it stands and any US company that wishes to try and claim our work as orphaned will have international copyright against them.
Sorry that I cannot help but I am behind all you folk from the States. Fight for your rights - the most important thing is to get formally organized and have some folk with legal experience drawing up all petitions and paperwork. Organise and meet and get the publicity out there - use your local TV and radio as well as national media - **** - get Oprah onboard !!- the whole Country seems to listen to her!!
The unfortunate thing is that we cannot lobby against this either because the US does not acknowledge petitions from people outside, on its internal matters. I found that out with a number of laws that PETA are trying to push through to restrict animal ownership. Unless you are a citizen they don't want to know what you think.
So I suppose our only saving grace is that we are still covered by copyright as it stands and any US company that wishes to try and claim our work as orphaned will have international copyright against them.
Sorry that I cannot help but I am behind all you folk from the States. Fight for your rights - the most important thing is to get formally organized and have some folk with legal experience drawing up all petitions and paperwork. Organise and meet and get the publicity out there - use your local TV and radio as well as national media - **** - get Oprah onboard !!- the whole Country seems to listen to her!!
It doesn’t really matter if this is just an American law, its effect is going to be global. And if international copyright does not include the states then its going to be a haven such as South America was for the Nazis
Canada has a habit of following the US in many things. I doubt we would be to far behind.
The people in the US and UK need to talk to their governments, not sit back. At least find out what it is about and make sure it is something you want, if you are going to sit out and wait to see what happens.
At the end of the article there is links to petitions and more information.
The people in the US and UK need to talk to their governments, not sit back. At least find out what it is about and make sure it is something you want, if you are going to sit out and wait to see what happens.
At the end of the article there is links to petitions and more information.
There has been a lot of talk about these orphaned artworks all over the internet this past day. I'm no expert in these matters at all, and I haven't taken the time to sit down and read everything I have been linked to, but I did see this blog by someone who seems to me to be very well-informed and well-researched, which answers a lot of the concerns brought up by Mark Simon. If she is right, then it seems that Mr Simon has been taking his information-researching a bit too lightly, which has created quite a panic across the internet boards.
Raising awareness is a good thing, creating panic is not.
Raising awareness is a good thing, creating panic is not.
Get informed.
Paulette. Due to the brevity of your message it is unclear to me whether it was directed at everyone in general (in which case I agree with it, though it could have been more helpfully formulated) or to me directly, in which case I think you are being a bit unfair really.
I did read the Mark Simon article, and I was worried by what he was writing because it would entail a lot of hazzle and confusion for artists who just want to follow their dreams and create. However, I was also very surprised that he did not link me to any relevant government sources on this bill that has him so greatly disturbed. Therefore I went out to "get informed" as you say, and I found many forums where this was discussed and I also saw several people cautioning against creating a panic. I thought that this was very sensible advice. They didn't say, and neither do I, that you should ignore these news, but that we should all take a step back and a deep breath and look at what was being said.
To that end, I found the blog I linked before (six misconceptions about orphaned works) very helpful - she supports her claims with links and quotes of direct sources and not second-hand as is the case with Mark Simon. Here is another page where there is a very clear and informative debate in the art and comments: Mercuralis at dA Especially the comments by Mercuralis herself, and Whitefantom. Instead of reading only Mark Simon, it is helpful to go to his primary source which is IllustratedPartnership , that he links to himself at the end of his article, as you also mention above. Their approach is more nuanced and fact-supported, but essentially amounts to the same reaction as Mr Simon, only without the panic-inducement.
I am not trying to sway anyone to one side or the other. I simply thought it would be helpful to get both sides of the story, and I provided a link that I had found in my searches so that others could benefit from it as well.
All the best,
I did read the Mark Simon article, and I was worried by what he was writing because it would entail a lot of hazzle and confusion for artists who just want to follow their dreams and create. However, I was also very surprised that he did not link me to any relevant government sources on this bill that has him so greatly disturbed. Therefore I went out to "get informed" as you say, and I found many forums where this was discussed and I also saw several people cautioning against creating a panic. I thought that this was very sensible advice. They didn't say, and neither do I, that you should ignore these news, but that we should all take a step back and a deep breath and look at what was being said.
To that end, I found the blog I linked before (six misconceptions about orphaned works) very helpful - she supports her claims with links and quotes of direct sources and not second-hand as is the case with Mark Simon. Here is another page where there is a very clear and informative debate in the art and comments: Mercuralis at dA Especially the comments by Mercuralis herself, and Whitefantom. Instead of reading only Mark Simon, it is helpful to go to his primary source which is IllustratedPartnership , that he links to himself at the end of his article, as you also mention above. Their approach is more nuanced and fact-supported, but essentially amounts to the same reaction as Mr Simon, only without the panic-inducement.
I am not trying to sway anyone to one side or the other. I simply thought it would be helpful to get both sides of the story, and I provided a link that I had found in my searches so that others could benefit from it as well.
All the best,
Not being American nor English, I don't have to register my work, as far as I understand... but what if someone from the UK or the USA steels art from someone who lives in another country? 
Marie,
I beg your pardon.
My comment was not directed at you. Now that I look back I see it could be seen that way. My comment was to reinforce that the only way to know what is going on is to get informed. Which I believe is exactly what you are doing.
Do we need to panic, no.
Do we need to be a part of the discussion, before things are decided, yes.
I must also admit I was probably a bit short in my reply because I usually look things up six ways to Sunday before I pass them on. So the shortness was to myself. Not so much that I didn't look into it more (because I would do this myself) but that I didn't stress that you need to know the facts.
I beg your pardon.
My comment was not directed at you. Now that I look back I see it could be seen that way. My comment was to reinforce that the only way to know what is going on is to get informed. Which I believe is exactly what you are doing.
Do we need to panic, no.
Do we need to be a part of the discussion, before things are decided, yes.
I must also admit I was probably a bit short in my reply because I usually look things up six ways to Sunday before I pass them on. So the shortness was to myself. Not so much that I didn't look into it more (because I would do this myself) but that I didn't stress that you need to know the facts.
Here is more info on Orphaned works. . . this one does not seem as inflamed as the other one given.
http://maradydd.livejournal.com/374886.html
http://maradydd.livejournal.com/374886.html
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