THIS IS LONG, BUT BARE WITH ME...

Please keep us posted about the progress of this bill. Its a difficult situation. I am just in the process of getting a freestanding website online, but I'm having second thoughts about putting my work on it!

The online registration of works should be a FREE government service that protects artists and allows companies or individuals a guaranteed way of being able to track down an artist to ask to use a piece of work. The way the government could FAIRLY MAKE MONEY out of it would be to charge companies for the use of the service... not to charge artists for the use of the work.

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TIME FOR A STORY: An artist takes a photograph and lends it to a woman who runs a shop to display it to try and sell. Over time, the signature is lost - scratched off or just faded, no-one knows.

A passerby sees the photograph and photographs it though the glass of the shop window. His photograph comes out remarkably well and he prints it to use and sell. When asked about the photograph, he lies and says that he can't remember where he saw took it.

Some time later, a man comes in to buy the photograph. The artist's signature, of course, can't be read. The shopkeeper goes to check her address book and returns to tell the customer that she has lost the artist's contact details and therefore she cannot sell the photograph. The customer reluctantly leaves without the photograph and the woman takes down the photogrpah and places it in a box in the store room... where it stayed until damp and the eventual demolition of the shop destroyed it forever.

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...Despite being an artist with apparently nothing to gain from it, I can understand the underlying logic/potential benefits of the Orphaned Works Bill. What I don't agree with is:

1. That it is actually being passed to free up the creative community and release honestly/truely "orphaned" works to public

2. That it will actually benefit the artistic community more than it will cripple it and open it up to further exploitation.

3. That even if the first point was true, I don't feel that all of the possible options and consequences have been explored by those responsible for its creation and passing.

4. ... And finally I don't think that the world of big business and politics truely understands quite how much of a detrimental impact frightening the artistic community into not displaying their work with have on THEM and their businesses! Young, rarely published and up and coming artists are who they will need to legitimately turn to next for their photography, their song lyrics, their cover art, their inspiration. If you force a generation into not showcasing their work and not gaining feedback, confidence and skills.. what will that do for the world's art?