Reminder: Critical Call to Action! Copyright Office Letters Due July 23rd!
The Copyright Office is proposing a new Copyright Act!
As we mentioned in several blog posts, the Copyright Office plans to draft a new Copyright Act that would drastically change the current copyright protection of one’s intellectual property. This new act would make it very difficult to realistically protect one’s art and intellectual property.
[blockquote align=”none” cite=” ~ Mark Getty*, ”Blood and Oil,” The Economist (March 4, 2000), p. 68″]Intellectual Property is the oil of the 21st century. Look at the richest men a hundred years ago; they all made their money extracting natural resources or moving them around. All of today’s richest men have made their money out of intellectual property.[/blockquote]
* Quote from Mark Getty, the grandson of oilman J. Paul Getty and co-founder of Getty Investments LLC and Getty Images, one of the largest private owners of photographic and moving images. http://www.gettyimages.com/
Write the Copyright Office TODAY!
The Copyright Office has asked for input from the visual arts community.
LETTERS ARE DUE ON OR BEFORE THURSDAY, JULY 23rd!
It is critical they hear from our community and our supporters.
Send your letter electronically as a PDF or word document via this link:
http://copyright.gov/policy/visualworks/comment-form/
(Note: If you are a non-U.S. artist, be sure to click the “state” dropdown field in the online form, scroll to the bottom and select “Non-U.S.A. Location “. If you continue to have trouble, email: Catherine Rowland, crowland@loc.gov)
Letters should be addressed to:
Maria Pallante
Register of Copyrights
U.S. Copyright Office
101 Independence Ave. S.E.
Washington, DC 20559-6000
and begin:
RE: Notice of Inquiry, Copyright Office, Library of Congress Copyright Protection for Certain Visual Works (Docket No. 2015-01)
Dear Ms. Pallante & U.S. Copyright Office Staff:
There are five questions the Office is asking of both artists and buyers, in addition to comments you may have on mass digitization by licensed institutions and their recommendations to commercialize orphan works. Please read: http://copyright.gov/fedreg/2015/80fr23054.pdf
The questions are:
1. What are the most significant challenges related to monetizing and/or licensing photographs, graphic artworks, and/or illustrations?
2. What are the most significant enforcement challenges for photographers, graphic artists, and/or illustrators?
3. What are the most significant registration challenges for photographers, graphic artists, and/or illustrators?
4. What are the most significant challenges or frustrations for those who wish to make legal use of photographs, graphic art works, and/or illustrations?
5. What other issues or challenges should the Office be aware of regarding photographs, graphic artworks, and/or illustrations under the Copyright Act?
and you may want to add – What are the most significant challenges artists would face if these new copyright proposals become law?
Here is a link to a past MALC blog post that will further explain the issues and the history of this ongoing battle and has sample letters:
http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/news/part-2-artists-letters-to-the-copyright-office/
Another blog post with some additional history on this battle in 2006 and 2008:
http://artlicensingshow.com/your-copyrights-could-be-undergoing-drastic-changes/
PLEASE take the time to do this letter and encourage others to do the same.
On behalf of the MALC Steering Committee