Illustrator’s Partnership Blog

Used with permission

Regular readers of my blog know I have been very vocal in opposing the Orphan Works Act in it’s various forms. It’s my opinion that only someone with another agenda to serve would believe this law is a good thing for anyone but those seeking to use intellectual property without paying the creator for the right to use it, or those who want to profit by forcing those creators to pay to register all their work in private databases. The poor excuse of being able to legally copy great grandma’s wedding pictures and to archive deteriorating creative works is not enough to justify opening the door to wholesale copyright infringement without fear of legal repercussions. Simple changes to the “Fair Use” exemption from copyright can easily address those archiving issues. You can read all my past rants at your leisure.

I know that many people might be sick of hearing about the Orphan Works debacle, but it is too important not to keep on top of. Sometimes lobbyists for some heinous piece of legislation get their laws passed just by wearing down the opposition… they get sick of hearing about and let their indignation go from full boil to a simmer, and eventually a cold pot of water. Don’t let that happen.

One of the sources I often quote is the one I posted from yesterday, the Illustrator’s Partnership. They are at the forefront of the fight against the Orphan Works Act. The IPA now has it’s own blog, where the formerly mass emailed articles I’ve reposted here are now accessible. Right now they are posting a daily series with background information on the origins of the Orphan Works Acts, who is behind it, and who is going to benefit from it if the law gets passed. Rather than reposting the IPA’s articles, I will let my reader’s know when new ones are posted and provide a link. I will also continue to comment and add my thoughts on any new developments as they happen. You can find a permanent link to the IPA blog on the blogroll on the right.