The link above will take you to an easy to submit letter sponsored by the Graphic Artists Guild. Please personalize the letter to fit your needs and then send.
I know there are a lot of artists on the fence over this one and there's a ton of misinformation everywhere. This wouldn't be nearly so confusing if Congress would just update their antiquated thinking mode. 'Intellectual' property exists only in the intellect for a short period of time. Once you act on the idea and create something because of it, such as a painting or a sculpture or a book, then it's no longer simply 'intellectual' property, is it? It's real and tangible and it should be yours to profit from and control until the end of time!!
Oh that's too long you say?
Why is that too long? If I looked out over a beautiful piece of land and I envisioned a resort that I then built and profited from at what point would it be fair for the government to step in and force me to forfeit my rights to profit from my work? Never! Because it's never right or fair for a government to deprive a citizen of their profit or their legacy.
So why do artists have to forfeit their rights? Limiting the length of Copyrights was originally intended to help promote the arts and sciences so that information and progress wouldn't die. Is that really a fear these days? No, not at all we've expanded Fair Use to include research papers and studies of all kinds. Sciences and arts are advancing everyday because we are on the internet exchanging and sharing ideas. The only thing Fair Use doesn't include is the type of wholesale, bargain-basement licensing without fear of legal ramifications that would appease the Time Warner's and the Google's of the world.
It's their opinion that they shouldn't have to be bothered by negotiating licensing with individual artists. This interferes with their profits and makes it difficult for their imperial CEO's to maintain and improve their multi-million dollar bonuses!! I say enough is enough!!!
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