Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/05/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]After reading Marc and Tina's differing opinions, I think I weigh in on the side of the new law. I am an amateur. I do not publish anything, receive no cash for anything I do photographically, do not show pictures on the WEB, and therefore I am pretty immune to this whole discussion, personally. But you asked me to send something to my local Congressman to affect his vote on the bill. Therefore I am involved, albeit, peripherally. Looking at it from a logical point of view, taking an image in a camera or making an art work, and then registering it to be protected, seems rational in this day and age of the Internet. How else should you be protected? By putting a cute little symbol on your art? ( as has been done for the past years.... obviously unsuccessfully as several users have noted.) However, and this is true of copyrights and patents, finding the violator is not easy, and then getting compensation for infringement is even harder, if possible at all. If this gives you bigger and better ability to get compensation form violators, why not? If you want to bitch about paying $45 to register all the art you have made over your lifetime, and then once a year after that, go ahead. Bitch. It is your money. But maybe you should save your bitching for getting some meat into the laws to really protect you. And maybe this law will help you do just that....... Frank Filippone red735i@earthlink.net