URGENT!! -- The Orphaned Works Bill is back before congress.

[talentshow]

The House just passed a revised version of the Orphaned Works Act, which will essentially overturn copyright law and undermine many artists' abilities to to protect and make a living from their work. OWA in a nutshell says that if your copyright isn't on something of yours, that anyone can take it and use it however they see fit because it is "orphaned." The burden of proof is on the artist and the artist must take to court any appropriators/thieves. We all know, this is not possible or desirable for most artists, and therefore, this will severely fuck with our ability to earn a living from our work. "Orphaned" can mean anything from a turn of the century family photo to an illustration you made and posted to your own website which some kid downloaded and then posted to Flickr. If you print your copyright notice on a painting and someone distributes a reproduction that crops off your "©2008 Your Name" then that can legally be considered "orphaned." It is grossly encompassing of work.

If you are an artist outside of the USA -- THIS STILL AFFECTS YOU. It means that if you're a photographer in Sweden, an American based multinational company can steal your work and you will have no viable recourse. There are links on the site below where you can direct your letters of protest.

You can use this site [ http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/ ] to contact your reps to protest.