PPA Calls for Changes in Orphan Works Proposal
The Copyright Office has suggested legislation that, in its current form, could have a devastating impact on professional photographers.
The proposal would limit, or in some cases eliminate, the damages available against an infringer of an orphan work.
What is an orphan work? It is a work or image, presumed to have copyright protection, but whose owner cannot be located even after a reasonably diligent search conducted in good faith.
At the same time, the American Society of Media Photographers has met with representatives of the Copyright Office and the Library of Congress and with industry partners to discuss the online registration of photographs from within existing and future digital asset management programs.
“With on-line registration on the near horizon, this feature will make it much easier to actually register your copyright and more fully protect your images,” says Richard Anderson, chair of ASMP’s Digital Standards Committee.