OrphanWorks Being Held - For Now

According to this statement by Sen. Leahy, his beloved OrphanWorks bill "is being stalled from Senate passage by an anonymous Republican hold." It is believed that the hold was placed by Sen. Sam Brownback, not so much because of his love for photographers' rights, but because of his interest in "assuring fair rights and rules across platforms", as Senator Leahy put it.

Ironic, in-fact, maybe approaching pathetic, that Sen. Leahy would write "I anticipate that this hearing will move us closer to considering legislation that ensures artists are compensated fairly when their work is performed, regardless of the platform over which the performance takes place", when, while he's speaking about musicians in that statement, artists - in the form of photographers - will be denied fair compensation when their work is performed (i.e. published) under the guise of it being an orphan, despite the various platforms that will use them.

This should not delay you, as ASMP urged, to contact your Senator. ASMP has provided a sample letter here, and contact information here. The APA too has urged you to take action - and you can use their resouces to contact your Senators - BOTH OF THEM - immediately. Visit here for that information. Go now.

This session's version of the bill is on it's death bed, and Sen. Leahy has called in the paramedics and he himself is charging the paddles now to try to revive his malformed work of art. Do the right thing and assist in pulling the plug by building a groundswell of oposition from other Senators to this bill.

(Comments, if any, after the Jump)

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