An alarming recent article in Animation World Magazine has been brought to my attention. It concerns the issue of Orphan Works, artwork for whom the copyright owner cannot be found.
As any artist posting on the internet is aware, copyright infringement is an ongoing risk. I have had my own artwork borrowed without my consent in the past, and normally it doesn't bother me. The problem is, under this legislation, someone else may be able to register my artwork in their own name so that I no longer have the rights to it. The same may be true of blog entries, journals and so on, unless every piece of creative work is registered correctly, and at cost, by it's owner.
The actual proposal before Congress is transcribed here: http://www.copyright.gov/docs/regstat031308.html We can't afford to be caught lying down on this one.
4 comments:
Holy crud.
I remember vaguely reading about this last week and going, "Meh." My concern is regarding, say, non-American artists like, oh, YOU, for instance, would be affected. If this bill passed, from what I understand, you'd have to have a company registered in the States to protect your property! (I'd like to stress that this is my understanding, and as such, I could be way off-base here...)
The question is, what can us non-yankees do about this?
That's my understanding too, and it doesn't bode well.
I guess the only thing us non-Americans can do is try to raise the awareness of artists who can vote in the USA.
On the upside, other versions of this bill have been defeated in congress in the past, so it seems unlikely that it will win through this time. But with enough apathy on the part of creators, who knows what could happen behind our backs.
Ok, here's a link to a blog that puts the whole issue into a new perspective...
http://maradydd.livejournal.com/374886.html
Cheers,
Tom.
I came across that article earlier today.
The fact that only the creator can register a work puts my mind at ease a bit.
Still, it's a good idea for artists like me to be aware of these laws.
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