Orphan Works Bill

Plagiarism:

I myself have fell victim to this devilish act, along with some of my musical friends. In fact, there is a WONDERFUL topic of this running around in the forums I play in, called toysoldiersunite.com, that I will share with you. The “Orphan Works Bill”, is a wonderful example of bad things to come.I am fighting with the Toy Soldiers and Dr. Steel, to do something about this bill. It will cause many bad things in the future for artists of all types, and I hope that something is done about this.Here is in fact, a blog entry from Doc, (don’t worry I have permission to post this for class, I asked him ^^) that brings this to attention:

Doc Wrote-


Destroying a Utopian Playland
-Dear Toy Soldiers, fellow creators and Friends, A new law is wriggling its way through the muck of greed and control. Its intention is to remove the power of our creativity and talent. It is called The Orphan Works Legislation and its ultimate goal is to make it impossible for artists to survive. Under the guise of allowing libraries and museums to gain copyright access to artwork created by long dead artists, the real purpose is to demand that every artist pay a registry fee in order to retain the right to their own creations. This is money and time that we do not have. Big businesses, however, who do have such expendable income shall be able to quickly register your work as their own, thus owning what you have created. The ultimate goal is to dissuade the artist to survive. This is moving very quickly and we must stand up, my brilliant Toy Soldiers. We must become vocal about this issue, for our future is at stake.WHAT TO DO:The Illustrator's Partnership has set up an online site for visual artists to e-mail their Senators and Representatives with one click. This site is open to professional artists, photographers and any member of the image-making public.We've provided sample letters from individuals representing different sectors of the visual arts. If you're opposed to the Orphan Works act, this site is yours to use.For international artists and our colleagues overseas, we've provided a special link, with a sample letter and instructions as to whom to write.2 minutes is all it takes to write Congress and protect your copyright:

http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/ Please forward this message to every artist you know. May we overcome this horrendous attempt to silence us all.Sincerely,~Dr. Phineas Waldolf Steel™More can be read about this topic at:http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=4115128And,http://www.toysoldiersunite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3219&highlight=orphanhttp://www.toysoldiersunite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2897&highlight=orphan

Back on the topic of stealing ones work. I myself have had artwork, and even my trademark name taken from me online. I have found ways to protect these things, but they are in fact VERY expensive ways, and prove to be a roadblock in keeping ones identity. I really try not to use anything without permission. (Like in this part of my report with Steel.) Also, when it comes to making any type of media involving graphics with other peoples work, I always get approval from them to call it a shared piece, after I have changed it.