Action Alert!
Orphan Works 2008
Now is the time to send your faxes to the Washington offices of your US Congress people. If you are not from the U.S., your faxes are still very important. This legislation could come up for a vote in one week! Already tens of thousands of faxes and emails have been sent. That is wonderful. However, more are needed.
Lobbying efforts are underway this week, June 3 thru June 5, 2008
Pro Imaging are sending a lobbyist to Washington, D.C., this week in a co-ordinated effort with many artist organizations to meet with Senators and Representatives in order to educate them of the dangers of Orphan Works 2008 legislation to the economic survival of creatives in all disciplines in every part of the world. Your faxes will have a great impact if they arrive when we are in Washington, D.C.
Join us
The OWOH have a full schedule of meetings this week, June 3 thru June 5, so please join us in you can. In preliminary calls to Congressional staffers, a prominent national curatorial insitution, and librarians and arts organizations, we find they are appalled at the potential damage to artists and institutional collections that may result from passage of the Orphan Works 2008 legislation.
It's now or never
You must get acquainted with this issue and contact your colleagues and friends with news of the urgent action required. Be sure to include your friends in this. They need not be professionals. Everyone who has ever put anything on the internet is at risk of having personal work used for commercial purposes, however inappropriate that context might be!
Links
The action link with the latest, most up-to-date information and notes of any actions you can take to help turn the tide: OWOH (Orphan Works Opposition Headquarters)
Quick Links:
Talking Points
Sample letters for all disciplines , with direct linkage to your Congress people
Non U.S. resident action link - for the larger, yet very important worldwide audience
Thank you for your involvement!
