From: <swstiles at comcast.net> To: "WSFA members" <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net> Subject: [WSFA] Re: FW: [RavenCon] (OT)Artists: A call to action! Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2006 07:47:38 -0500 Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Walsh" <mjw at press.jhu.edu> To: <bwsmof at bwsmof.org>; <leeandalexis at hotmail.com>; <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>; <editor at wsfa.org>; <info at www.balticon.org>; <Channel_D at yahoogroups.com>; <Channel_OT at yahoogroups.com>; <RavenCon at yahoogroups.com> Sent: Monday, November 13, 2006 4:21 PM Subject: [WSFA] Re: FW: [RavenCon] (OT)Artists: A call to action! > There's a reason why copyright is not forever. > > mjw > > >>> leeandalexis at hotmail.com 11/13/06 12:34 PM >>> > > Every Day An Adventure > > ----Original Message Follows---- > From: "J. Andrew World" <captnflannel at yahoo.com> > Reply-To: RavenCon at yahoogroups.com > To: RavenCon at yahoogroups.com > Subject: [WSFA] [RavenCon] (OT)Artists: A call to action! > Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 22:08:43 -0800 (PST) > > Please repost this! > > Artists' rights are coming under attack! > The House Judiciary Commity has an Act that they are waiting to vote on > that will seriously hurt artists. If this law is passed it will > drastically affect how much right you have to your own work. > > The Orphan Works act (You can use this link to see where it stands: > http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.R.5439:) will take away > your > rights to your work. > > I can't explain it better than Tad Crawford from Communication Arts > November > Design Annual 2006: > "To > give some additional background, on May 22, 2006, a bill titled "Orphan > Works Act of 2006" was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. > This bill follows the Copyright Office proposal by allowing a person to > use a work without permission if the person has "performed and > documented a reasonably diligent search in good faith to locate the > owner of the infringed copyright." If the owner cannot be found after > such a search, then even though the use is technically an infringement, > the penalties for the infringement are minimal or nonexistent. If an > owner discovers the infringement, the highest compensation that the > owner can obtain is "reasonable compensation" and the infringement can > continue. The owner is not allowed to seek damages, costs or attorney's > fees. If the infringement is "without any purpose of direct or indirect > commercial advantage and primarily for a charitable, religious, > scholarly, or educational purpose," and the usage ceases after the > owner complains, then the owner will not even have the right to ask for > reasonable compensation." > > What can you do? > > Simply write > the House Judiciary Committee and *YOUR* congressman, both current and > newly > elected. Here is a link to > a page with instructions and a form letter to use: > http://www.gag.org/activities/advocacy_materials/orphan_works_letters_2.php > I urge everyone who reads this to pass this information on as well as > write > to your representives in Washington. > ____________________________________________________________ _____ > All-in-one security and maintenance for your PC. Get a free 90-day > trial! >