Edit: This really was getting out of hand and potentially damaging to serious efforts to deal with problematic bills. I posted in DA news a more concise version of my thoughts below

[link]

....



LJ and DA, I credit for raising awareness of some things, even though I suspect that everyone is reading one article and reacting in a way that is not logical. (Watch the mess at LJ here [link] )

The Orphan Works Bill proposed in 2005/2006 was defeated. See [link] for the official record and public comment.

A new version is being drafted according to numerous art sites/professional sites -- some who have more experience dealing with the way Congress works and some who obviously haven't. I'm not bothering citing the main article everyone keeps linking in because consider that it is written partly to incite people and is written as a reaction to the previous version of a bill that was not passed. (Blogging journalists are not the Associated Press. Their goal, more often than not, is to generate pageviews/hits, provoke strong emotional response, debate, or just to vent. Blogs are not always held to the same editorial standards as other sources of information, either. Go look up some political ones if you don't get what I mean.)

The ASMP site presents the situation most fairly and most accurately.
[link]

Edit: This site on the official copyright page of the USG is pretty helpful testimony: [link]

I would read this as a precursor to any stuff that eventually emerges, as it accompanies any draft bill as a letter of "intent." I find this enormously helpful.

PLEASE NOTE THAT UNTIL YOU SEE A LINK TO AN OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT PAGE, NO ONE HAS SEEN THE NEW BILL AND ISN'T VOTING ON IT. (How a Bill gets to become Law( [link] and official: [link] ) Read it so you understand the difference between what the original Animation World article states versus the reality. )

Blogging about "what it will do" is preemptive. You can guess based on the previous versions. But then everything that follows is speculation.


IF YOU WANT TO ACT, don't use online petitions. When dealing with Congress, it is best to CALL your Congressperson or write, email or fax them. Online petitions are flawed because you are relying on someone else to "deliver" items, and to be honest, no staffer has time to sit there and validate these things that could have easily faked. DIRECTLY contact your representative. Don't know how? Google the US Congress and then go to their home pages. ([link] and [link])

If you don't know what to write, consider using a form letter like this one and customizing it.
[link]

Don't just copy paste. That immediately marks items as "fishY" adn questionable if you end up with 1000s of the same things on someone's fax machine or email inbox!

The other thing I still believe artists need to understand is the importance of clearly marking their work. That does mean attaching both watermarks and considering stronger digital signature use. (There are commercial platforms out there that encode some digital stuff into your images as well.) Consider that anything you put on line is already at risk. See how DA puts watermarks on everything as an option? Consider using those measures out of habit. It's your responsibility to protect your stuff clearly. Just like you don't leave your car unlocked with the keys inside on some random streetcorner, don't leave your works unprotected.

Photo gallery and journal
[link]

KIRIBAN/ Gift Art
On hold. Plan to resume near 36000

Conventions I'll be scaring in 2008
Megacon - Done!
Momocon - I survived
AX - Confirmed
AWA - Registration submitted. Statusending.

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