A Re-posting from the DBG-BI Blog

Is Stealing OK?

Everyone knows stealing is not okay, but the Copyright law is about to change to make stealing okay.

• Posted by ikumikayama
• in Musings

When I was in school, the biggest offense a student can make was plagiarism. Stealing someone else’s work, usually writing, and claiming it as their own can get a student expelled from school.  Intellectual property is important, and it must be protected. We live in a society that values creativity and innovation.

One time a classmate in my history class stole a homework assignment from another classmate and put his name on the work. We didn’t see him in the class again.

So why is that, in 2015, the same idea about not stealing someone else’s work is an issue? We all know it’s wrong, but stealing is much easier with digital access to files and images. It’s easier to steal from someone far away on the other side of the globe. But that doesn’t make it okay.

According to the Library of Congress Docket No. 2015-01, “The US Copyright office is reviewing how certain visual works, particularly photographs, graphic artworks, and illustrations, are monetized, enforced, and registered under the Copyright Act.”

You can read all about

Basically, some companies are complaining that all the artwork in the world are not being used for maximum profit because copyright is stopping unauthorized use. This might sound like a good idea at first glance, but then when you stop and think about who is going to receive the profits (companies, not artists), this new Copyright Act is not at all good for creative types.

The good news is, the Copyright Office is calling out to artists to receive letters on their thoughts about copyright. Here’s my letter.

Let me know what you think. Are you an artist? Art buyer? I’m curious to know.

If you wish to write your own letter, check out this Artists Alert for instructions

Deadline for sending letters is July 23, 2015