Saturday, April 12, 2008

So...that Orphan Works Bill. [updated]

So, I stumbled upon this podcast on a journal, by deviantArt member, lastscionz. The podcast is very informative about what the Orphan Works Legislation will do with work you may create.

Turns out the Orphan Works Bill is more than what it seems. Check it out.

Orphan Works information.




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I wonder if everyone here knows about that Orphan Works Legislation that died around two years ago? I didn't know about it then, but I recently read that the Orphan Works Legislation is up and running again. An orphan work is a copyrighted work where it is difficult or impossible to contact the copyright holder. The bill essentially takes orphaned works and puts them into the public domain, leaving it prey to theft, misused, and such.

There's no art associated with this post, but I just thought it was important for everyone to know.
If you do know about it, then you should probably try to do something about it because it threatens everyone in the illustration, animation, photography---pretty much most artists.

There's a couple of links and stuff if you're interested.

Animation World Magazine.

orphanworks.blogspot.com
Orphan Works|Public Knowledge

You could always just google it yourself, too.

One way you could prevent this from happening is by contacting your senator or something.

















Well, get to it!

4 comments:

Happypeepeehead said...

Well in this case, I see it as useful to some degree to allow these works to become public domain. The appropriation of public domain imagery has led to some interesting results, at the very least, in comics. I've been reading Keith Giffen's What Were They Thinking? where they take public domain comics from the 40's and 50's and remix them with new snarkier dialogue. Now if it's a case where the copyright holder is alive and just failing to keep up with the legalese, that's something else but old works that were unclear on whether their estate should handle it or not is something else. I was thinking very happy thoughts at the idea of Steamboat Willy's copyright expiring and it becoming public domain. Oh the things the done to ruin it. I'm on the fence until I read further but that's my reaction based off what you posted.

Narciso said...

Yeah, I agree with you on that matter. If an artist doesn't really care for an image. I think people who are working very closely with the bill are searching for a balance with the Orphan Works, which should work out. But, it could some how turn out that the government could tax you for registering an image. I think that's what I read, but add some salt to it.

It would be fun, though, to mess with some really ancient comics.

We'll see how it goes. I still have to read into it more. Just like I have to read into these Ruler-of-the-West candidates.

Anonymous said...

The thing that bothers me about it is that its not only from works from the past but also the future.

From what I got from the information its more like a lose lose situation.

"For the person who uses your art, per say, they only have to do a ' reasonable search' for your registry. If they can't find it, its free for them to use it.

First, paying for all the artwork you'll have to register (twice if you have signed to a company)
And if you were a victim of getting your art stolen/ used without permission you must:
- Find the person's name the infringement, and prove the infringement BEFORE you can get an attorney"


And knowing from the digital age, people's information could be truth or lie ( ie: Wikipedia).

The only one who would win would be the big companies, or if you had a lot of money to invest.


But those are my two cents about it.

Narciso said...

All I know is that it's not a good thing if a person is planning on making money off of their artwork and reproductions of it.

It's not going to be pretty if the bill is passed.