- Posted
- Apr 13th 2008
- Mood
- Disgusted
http: //mag.awn.com/index.php?ltype= Columns& article_no= 3605& page= 1
(copy/paste with no spaces)
This is lame. In fact, this is beyond lame. This is ultra-lame.
The article itself is your general over-the-top alarmist "TO ARMS MEN, TO ARMS!" writeup, but unfortunately, this bill is very, very real.
Actual Bill: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.R.5439:
Explanation of Bill without mumbo-jumbo and buzzwords: http://www.gag.org/activities/advocacy_materials/pdf_files/GuildNews2006%20OW.pdf
The short of it: We, the artists, pay so that people can't steal our work. If people want to steal our work, they do a quick, sloppy search, claim they couldn't find our contact information, and they can do whatever they want. Obviously, it's more complicated than that, but that's the general jist of it. This affects more than Americans, as well. If you've ever hosted your work on an American server (such as the ever-popular DeviantArt.com), you're at risk of losing ownership of your work as well.
Here's a quick and easy way to contact your United States representative(s):
https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml
http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
Sluggy Says:
Hmmm. As far as I know that would only apply to U.S. citizens.
But seriously. It's just FUD. Don't worry about it. That article has been popping up all over the place. It showed up on GD.net a few weeks ago and was shot down within minutes. The guy that wrote it is an idiot. Period.
So take a deep breath, relax, and go back to your work, happy in the knowledge that it will all be yours when you wake up next morning
Sluggy Says:
Ah yeah sorry. I had about a million tabs open and thought I was looking at someone else's journal. Doh! Just to answer your question though, I am a friend of ManicTHP's and Ruck's.