By Skye Kilaen •
June 23, 2008
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Autumn just filled us in on the Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008 (S. 2913). If you have any concerns about it, I’m here to tell you how to present those concerns to the people who can make a difference: the federal government.
As of May 15th, this bill was voted out of Senate Committee on the Judiciary and placed on the full Senate’s intent calendar. That means that the entire Senate will be involved in making the next decision about whether this bill will move forward. You can follow the progress of the bill, as well as media coverage of it, at its page on Open Congress or on its official bill status page on the Library of Congress website.
Preparing to Advocate
Before you communicate with your Senators about this bill, you have to do your homework.
Amid a dwindling economy, a controversial war, and an incomprehensible environmental crisis, it’s easy to overlook the more “benign” pitter-patter of Capitol Hill. As modern makers we declare independence in a sense, through what we create, but count on the protection of copyright in order to exclusively maintain our intellectual property. The Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act, if allowed to become law, will drastically weaken and complicate rights of individuals to pursue damages for copyright infringement. This legislation claims good intentions, yet has been drafted with dangerous loopholes.
I urge the indie craft community to take a closer look at this bill, and act quickly… it was introduced to congress on April 24th, 2008, and is rumored to be fast-tracked to a vote.
In this special two-part post, I will introduce you to the legislation, and Skye will jump in later with some advocacy tips.
