Az's Corner

NORMAL STUFF

Ok so today when I get home I check my messages and someone has given me a link to this article from Animation World Magazine

Basically if you're too lazy to read it's something like US government is trying to pass a bill known as 'Orphan Works' which allows people to take other works that they find on the internet and sell it without the artist permission- at least thats in his language.

Here's a diagram I found :D


Ok so you get it now?
At first upon reading that article I did feel a tinge of fear, and wonder if it would affect us Australian's even though it's an American bill. But I started looking around- and it wasn't too hard to find more info on it, deviantART was chock full of journals with opinions from 'this is bad for all artist' to 'this is bullshit.'

In perhaps a more reasonable explanation Orphan Works are things where the original artists cannot be contacted. Maybe they're dead. Maybe they've permanently relocated to an uncharted island in the middle of the Pacific. Maybe they've been abducted. Who knows?
The point is, nobody will ever be able to ring 'em up and ask permission to use their song/picture/statue, so if you can prove you've but some effort into finding him, the permission's not necessary. The artist's friends and family members can pay to keep the copyright protected (a dollar or so every few years), and if the artist himself shows up somewhere along the line, he's fully compensated.

Though this bill already tried to be passed 2 years ago but it didn't get through. I'm stuck with mixed emotions because it's hard to find out the truth about it.

Is it really going to put the artists in trouble? Is it all bullshit? Should we drop it? Would we be willing to take that risk? Does it even affect the people OUTSIDE the US?

Hell what do you think?

Oh shi- thunderstorm ;A; -runs and hides-