If you are an artist, this affects you directly.
If you're not, you should still read because this is a huge deal.
Please pass it on.
And if you can, sign the petition.

A new change to copyright law is being proposed. The Orphan Works legislation, is currently being reviewed. If this passes, there will be significant risk to artists and creatives, who make a living with their artwork. Please take a moment to read the summary below. I will include links to other, longer and more thorough articles, and a petition to stop this legislation from passing...

- Current copyright law: Anything you create is protected by copyright from the moment its created.



- Under Orphan Works legislation: Nothing you create will be copyrighted unless you register it with commercial registries (which do not exist yet, and there will be more than one and it doesn't seem like there's a cap to how many the country is allowing them to sprout. I have the impression they work like image banks, just that now it will freaking own every single soul on this planet instead of you making the choice to sell stock images).





- Those which have been registered under the copyright office, are required to re-register with the new registries, yes, everything.





- We have to pay to own our own works unless you don't mind creating something and having somebody taking it and infringing it.





- The bill was started by 8 law students and a law professor Peter Jaszi, he wants to overthrow the idea of authorship, because individuals are small and creations by them should be owned by the public because they're influenced by the public. Tell me my eyes weren't the only pair that rolled at this point of time.





- If you do register, the people stealing your work can still claim it was orphaned and unless you fight them, they win. Even if you win, you may not make back your legal fees.





Anyone can submit images, including your images. They would then be excused from any liability for infringement (also known as THEFT) unless the legitimate rights owner (you) responds within a certain period of time to grant or deny permission to use your work.





THOROUGH ARTICLES:
[link] (long audio interview)
[link]
[link]

PETITION:
[link]