Orphan Works Update July 15

The Orphan Works Mark-up for this week has been postponed. This gives us more time to email and fax members of the House Judiciary Committee. Write and ask them to support the amendments submitted jointly by the Illustrators' Partnership, the Artists Rights Society and the Advertising Photographers of America.

http://ipaorphanworks.blogspot.com/2008/07/hr-5889-amendments.html

These amendments would:

• Insure that the bill will only affect true orphaned work;
• Insure that the bill will not violate international trade agreements;
• Insure that the bill will not take effect until a market impact survey concludes it will not harm existing commercial markets.

Otherwise, ask them not to vote this bill out of committee until Congress can hold proper hearings into the harm it will do to small businesses, individual creators and ordinary citizens.

Our sample letter to House Judiciary Committee members can be deep linked here: http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/issues/alert/?alertid=11618481

Contact information for House Judiciary Committee members can be accessed here: http://ipaorphanworks.blogspot.com/2008/07/house-judiciary-committee-contact-list.html

View the Orphan Works Forum Webcast from the Society of Illustrators:
http://www.unitedpgremote.com/society/soi_2008_05_04.html