And it never will be.

I did this in like, 8 seconds. Could have been more designy I suppose... I'll play with it a bit more. Template- [link]

Please go get yourself educated on what the Orphan Works bill is all about (To the Google Search everybody!). Wikipedia is always a good place to start to get the jist: [link] but don't finish there (for the love of lemmings, don't just read Wikipedia, that would be dumb). Read up on both sides, but more importantly, read the actual bill.

Most of us thought this would go away and it was all a bunch of drama, but the Senate's version just passed and it still needs to move through the House. So far their proposed version looks like it's trying to placate artist, but it still is very, VERY flawed, and in my opinion, flawed beyond all repair. This will not help artist protect their art better, it will only encourage more theft.

The long list of artist organizations against this bill:

American Society of Illustrators Partnership
• The Illustrators Partnership of America
• The Society of Illustrators New York
• The American Society of Architectural Illustrators
• The Association of Medical Illustrators
• The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators
• The American Society of Aviation Artists
• The Illustrators Club of Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia
• The Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators
• The National Cartoonists Society
• The San Francisco Society of Illustrators
• The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles
• The Society of Illustrators of San Diego
• Association of American Editorial Cartoonists

Advertising Photographers of America
Artists Rights Society of New York
– representing 40,000 fine artists worldwide
Artists Foundation
Appalachian Pastel Society
Art of Licensing Listserve
Atlanta Artists Center
Atlanta Photography Group
Atlanta Photographic Society
California Copyright Conference
Colorado Alliance of Illustrators
Creators’ Rights Alliance
Editorial Photographers of America
Maine Illustrators Collective
National Association of Independent Artists
Editorial Photographers of America
National Needle Arts Association
National Press Photographers Association
New Jersey Creatives Network
Oil Pastel Society
Palm Beach County Art Society
Philadelphia/Tri State Artists Equity Association, Inc.
Professional Women Photographers, Inc.
Society of Decorative Painters
Society of Digital Artists
Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators
Society of Photographers and Artists Representatives
South Cobb Arts Alliance
Southeastern Pastel Society
Stock Artists Alliance
Studio Art Quilt Association
Tannery Row Artist Colony
United States Digital Imaging Group
Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts
Wellington Art Society
Women in Focus

International Associations
International Council of Creators of Graphic, Plastic and Photographic Arts
– artists’ rights societies of 31 countries, representing over 100,000 visual artists
Association of Illustrators (UK)
Association of Photographers (UK)
Association de Illustrateurs et Illustratrices du Quebec
Association Européenes des Illustrateurs Médicaux et Scientifiques
Association of Dutch Designers
Canadian Association of Photographers and Illustrators in Communication
Cyberscribes-- an International Assembly of Lettering Artists
FreeLens (France)
Union des Photographes Créateurs (France)
International Quilt Association
Pro-Imaging.org
Rassemblement des Artistes en Arts Visuels
Australian Cartoonists’ Association

Writers
National Writers Union

Music
National Association of Record Industry Professionals (NARIP)
American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)
Los Angeles Music Network (LAMN)
Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP)
American Federation of Musicians (AFM)
Music Managers Forum (MMF)
Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI)
Native American Music Association (NAMA)
Recording Artists’ Coalition (RAC)
California Copyright Conference (CCC)
[link]


DON'T PANIC just be informed and spread the word. This affects all creative works, not just visual ones.

EDIT: The website of the Senator who brought it forward and the bill itself (as of April 24th): [link]