Letterbox

Continuing our discussion of the proposed Orphan works legislation, Eleanor Dickinson writes: "There is a lot more action as the bill is speeding along. The Lawyers for the Arts around the country are joining in to block it - or slow it down so it can be clear and fair to all."

Richard Halperin, President of the North American Nature Photography Association, has posted this video on youtube to illuminate some of the more pernicious elements of the bill. Essentially when you create something you do not have commercial rights to that creation unless you first pay to register it. The process is fairly onerous and significantly damages the rights of individual creators. The House has already passed the bill; the Senate is now taking it up. http://youtube.com/watch?v=CqBZd0cP5Yc.

Ars Technica adds that the bill has now cleared a Senate subcommittee and discusses the implications for individual artists: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080516-orphan-works-bill-clears-senate-committee-may-soon-find-home.html

Attorney Carolyn Wright, who represents a number of photographers, gives her opinion of the damage the bill can do and suggests that artists keep themselves informed so they can protect their work: http://www.photoattorney.com/2008/03/orphan-bill-rears-its-ugly-head-again.html.

On the positive side, Jennifer Urban, interim Director of Stanford Law School's Cyberlaw Clinic, feels that there are favorable aspects to the bill that should be considered: http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2008/04/cyberlaw_chief_on_orphan_works.php.

Those of you who want to make your opinions known to your U. S. Senators can find their addresses, emails, and fax numbers at http://www.visi.com/juan/congress.

c.Corinne Whitaker 2008

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