Here are more links … This is compiling all that I could find about the Orphan Works Act to make it easy to find the info. Certainly it is only few places that is saying it is baloney (really only one) and another says we are over-reacting. So I would say that it is real – one is a US House hearing link – so hopefully it can get disappeared before it gets going … but it will only do that because we care and act.  I hope you will sign the petition – I am putting it first (you can sign this if you are from ANY country).  Please also contact your legislators (if you are US residents.)

The Empty Chair, Pastel © Diane Clancy

Ths is a link to sign a petition against this act;
(http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/no-to-orphan-works-act.html)

from this link:
“One thing to keep in mind, though, is that in law writing, as in law practice, the battle is often won in the drafting stage. Multi-billion dollar industries that stand to benefit from harvesting others’ intellectual property have been pressing Congress on this issue for years, and you can be sure that the pressure did not relent between 2006 and today. Speaking as a historian as well as a lawyer, I would observe only that the blogosphere’s insistence that artists wait in silence while elites write the law is not lacking in irony.”

(http://blog.newsarama.com/2006/07/?p=7811)

Orphan Works Bills Blog
http://orphanworks.blogspot.com/

Information: Crafts of Texture feels it so important, they put the article in today.  (Just information that other artist groups are taking this seriously.

You can read more about it here;
http://mag.awn.com/index.php?ltype=Columns&article_no=3605&page=3

This is a link with the contact information for the president and all US senators, representatives, state governors and legislators;
(http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml)

US House Hearings
(http://judiciary.house.gov/oversight.aspx?ID=427)

Resource Page for Artists
(http://www.illustratorspartnership.org/01_topics/article.php?searchterm=00185)

Illustrator’s Partnership is saying:  (directly quoting – I understand that they want this passed around)  

“The language in the draft confirms our warnings. If this bill passes, you’ll be forced to clear all your secondary licensing rights through at least two government certified databases –

“The language in the draft confirms our warnings. If this bill passes, you’ll be forced to clear all your secondary licensing rights through at least two government certified databases – or risk orphaning your art.

Despite its masquerade as the “last resort” to search for a rights owner, these databases will likely become the only source many users will rely on for finding a rights owner. Reason: it will give users the legal right to infringe any copyright not in the databases.

We’re working with our attorney now to prepare opposition letters.

We have contracted CapWiz, a service that will allow you to send these letters to Congress with a push of the button.

CapWiz will also provide us with “digital stickers” that anyone else – organizations, individual artists, blogs, etc. – can put on their sites that create a direct link to the command center to write their Congressman and Senators to defeat this radical change to U.S. Copyright law

Please stay tuned and we’ll tell you in a day or so what you can do to register your opposition.

For additional background on Orphan Works, go to the IPA Orphan Works Resource Page for Artists
(http://www.illustratorspartnership.org/01_topics/article.php?searchterm=00185) “

Links that say this is baloney or Overkill

Baloney Link
(http://www.boingboing.net/2008/04/12/countering-the-fud-a.html)

Overkill Link

(http://blog.newsarama.com/2006/07/?p=7811)

You may copy this, forward this and/or post it on your own blog.  You may link your blog or forum or anything to here so that people may have access to these links.  I would like this word to get out!!!  Thank you for caring and being involved!!!

~ Diane Clancy