Dan Wilson on thu 22 aug 96
There is an article in MACWORLD June, 96 written by Suzanne Stefanac
titled: Copyright ain't Dead . . . Yet. pp.137-140. She discusses
Copyright laws and how they apply to www authorship. Imho, anyone who
knowingly uses my images and or published ideas to promote themselves or
their product without my permission is infringing upon my copyrights. A
nice note explaining your views might be an appropriate first step.
Dan, slogging through Wittgenstein in Bellingham, Wa. U.S.A.
Terrance Lazaroff on sun 25 feb 01
-----Original Message-----
From: Terrance Lazaroff
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Date: Sunday, February 25, 2001 10:50 AM
Subject: Re: copyrights
To all;
This is a msg. that I sent to Susan on the subject of copyrights; =20
Susan=20
I am happy you are solving your delima. Perhapes you should do the =
research to find out if you have a copyright org. in your state. I know =
that we sign contracts with organisations around the world in order to =
protect both their artist's as well as our own. =20
Our organisation is called SODART (Soci=E9t=E9 de Droits D'auteur en =
arts Visuels). I am an active member of the Quebec Artists Association =
and we started this copyright protection organisation. =20
We found that when artists organise their own copyrights they must =
personally and individuality negotiate their onw exhibition royallties. =
They must monitor reproductions in print and on television and generally =
forego royalties from photocopies of their woke. They aslo have no =
guarentee of being paid when their work is posted on the internet.=20
SODART is a copyright licensing body for the visual arts. It =
negotiates agreements with users of works of art such as museums, arts =
centres, galleries, publishers, TV stations, etc. on behalf of the =
artists who have entrusted their copyrights to. SODART grants licenses =
to user in accordance with the Act Respecting the Professional Status of =
Artists. It then collects and redistributes royalties to the artists.
The artists in our association control SODART. We protect the =
artist's copyright and ensure payment is given. SODART takes a =
15%commission on all transactions. This money goes to paying for the =
Lawyer, a secretary and a communications officer.
Although we are Canadian following Canadian Laws, I have found that =
the USA has similar acts that protect the artist/craftsperson. I =
suggest you check out what is available in your area. You can do this =
by contacting any artist association in the community. They might be =
able to help you. You can also access the USA copyright laws using a =
search engine on your internet. You might find something there. You =
should be proactive in finding this service. If it doesn't exist you =
should explore the possibility of forming an agency. If we do nothing =
we are lost to the big guys. I have only uses the services of my =
copyright agent once and was successful in getting action.
Food for Thought
In addition: To All;
How many artists loose out on some form payment because they are not =
members of a copyright association?
You would be suprised how many ceramists that have given pictures of =
their work to someone writing a book without asking some copyright =
payment. They feel that they are getting exposure or feel that if they =
ask for this payment they will not get into the book. Well if you =
believe this, you are loosing out on your rights more than you realise. =
The books that are written go to libriaries and schools. Students and =
Joe Public often photocopy your image in the name of studies. They use =
your forms for ideas to further their creations. I am not saying this =
is bad but when you are busy working your butt off at 3am. in the =
morning trying to create something special, you should get something for =
your effort. In addition, the cost of making good photos is very =
expensive. Yet we continue to pay a professional, Give him credit for =
his photo and then just give away our rights. The photo probably cost =
$30.00 to $50.00. Think about it. =20
My organisation (SODART) works with a national body that collects =
payment from libriaries and schools for copyright payment.=20
Unless all artists/craftsperson organise and set up copyright =
associations we will be continually abused by others making money off =
our creativity. =20
Remember this; even your 5 year old child has copyright protection. =
That means that if they draw a picture that is used for, Lets say UNICEF =
christmas cards, they are entitled to receive a copyright fee.
DON'T GIVE YOUR CREATIVITY AWAY AND PROTECT YOUR RIGHT TO MAKE A =
LIVING FROM YOUR WORK. GET ORGANISED.
Terrance
=20
primalmommy@IVILLAGE.COM on thu 20 dec 01
Gayle, I have one odd little pot that is intended to hold a quirky product; definitely a small market, specialty item. A while back, the folks that make the item asked me if I would be willing to wholesale the pot to them. After much agonizing (and some questions to the list about options like hiring a helper) I decided not to do it, not now. I need to continue to improve and perfect the form, and don't have time in my life right now to mass produce.
I made it pretty clear to them that I would NOT be happy if someone else made my pot, and when they talked about doing it anyway, I quickly filed the copyright forms to back up my position. They backed off.
It's an extremely small bone to get territorial over, but an equally small target market in my case. Would I get a lawyer and fight over it? Couldn't afford to. But I'd sure get in touch with any potter they might hire to make my pot, and explain my situation.
It's pretty cheap to do, and easy. It won't stop anyone from doing anything, but it made me feel better so I did it.
Good luck to you.
Kelly in Ohio
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