Orphaned Art legislation: Important!!

[domenico Foschi]

(I would encourage all the members of ths forum to send an email to your recipients.
This doesn't only affect artists.
Domenico

[claudiocambon]

Signed.

[Robert A. Zeichner]

signed

[r.e.]

My country has already addressed this, so it is none of my business, but here is something that might be worth reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orphan_works

If one does a search on this subject, what one might discover is that it has among other things plenty to do with the ability of filmmakers to make historical documentary films, which is in fact much more problematic, for copywrite reasons, than most people realize.

Anyway, there is a possibility that U.S. politicians have things on their minds at the moment that don't favour the passage of this anytime soon, even if it should be passed.

[Mike Boden]

signed

[rodney@theloughroad.com]

signed.

[cyrus]

"thus making it easier to register your work and not worry about it becoming an orphan in the first place."

If you really think doing this over the internet will make it easier then you can't know much about computers.

Dunno - I file my taxes over the internet...
ANyway you can always file the regular way.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

Not only is this stupid, it would be illegal but that has never stopped Congress.

"Worse yet, this new law would have retroactive effect: it would apply to works that you created in the past."

US Constitution:
"10. No State shall enter into any treaty, alliance or confederation; grant letters of marque and reprisal; coin money; emit bills of credit; make any thing but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts; pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility."

So I guess they take it that Congress can do these things.

[domenico Foschi]

Yesterday I was introduced by a friend to congressman Ed Royce,personal friend of him.
After a talk about food I felt I could get his opinion about this issue.

He told me, he knew very little about this and especially about Art, and asked me to fill him in and give him the Artist point of view.
After filling him in, he started to talk and I realized he knew much more than he previously stated and completely disagreed with the legislature and asked me to send him all the material I could so that he could build a strong case against this "proposal".
The man was a breath of fresh air.
I am working in building a package to send him and if any of you know of any other useful links, I would appreciate having them posted.

[Waldo]

I signed.

This bill just scares the crap out of me.