THIS IS OF MAJOR CONCERN TO EACH AND EVERY MEMBER OF THE DEVIANT ART COMMUNITY.

Furthermore, it is of VITAL IMPORTANCE to ANYONE in the business or recreation of producing creative works.

There is currently a little bit of legislation facing congress that wants to alter current copyright laws. Let me attempt to explain in short what this would mean.

Under current copyright law, you have LEGAL protection for your own creative works and intellectual properties from the very moment of their creation. That is to say if you drew something this very moment, it is YOURS and copyright law protects your right to it...anyone who stole it from you is subject to legal persecution.

Under the newly proposed copyright laws, anyone is LEGALLY ALLOWED STEAL YOUR ARTWORK unless you register with multiple privatized companies, which essentially means PAYING THEM to recognize artwork as YOURS. Otherwise, your work is concerned an "Orphaned Work" which essentially means that ANY random joe can lift your art and use it commercially at their leisure, without ANY obligation to pay you any fraction of the profit or even credit you.

Imagine Getty Images wandering across your site in google. They like your gallery, so they take it, register all the images, and all of a sudden you are ILLEGALLY displaying your OWN ART. That's right, you could be LEGALLY PROSECUTED FOR USING YOUR OWN ARTWORK.

Please, please, PLEASE take time out of your day to read this article by Mr. Simon over at AWN.com


[link]ageone&article_no=3605&age=1


In the article is a link to a site where you can locate the contact information for state legislators, senators, governers, the whitehouse, etc. I encourage you to contact ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE YOU CAN ABOUT THIS.

FIGHT TO PROTECT YOUR ARTWORK FROM ART THIEVES. IT IS VERY SERIOUS.