Documentation, Celebration, and Protection of Our Natural World

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Documentation, Celebration, and Protection of Our Natural World NO. 20-915 In the Supreme Court of the United States UNICOLORS, INC., Petitioner, v. H&M HENNES & MAURITZ, L.P., Respondent. __________________________ On a Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MEDIA PHOTOGRAPHERS, INC. AND CALIFORNIA SOCIETY OF ENTERTAINMENT LAWYERS JOINED BY TWELVE CREATOR RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS, IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONER DARREN J. QUINN THOMAS B. MADDREY LAW OFFICES OF COUNSEL OF RECORD DARREN J. QUINN AMERICAN SOCIETY OF 12702 VIA CORTINA, SUITE 105 MEDIA PHOTOGRAPHERS, INC. DEL MAR, CA 92014 FOUR EMBARCADERO CENTER (858) 509-9401 SUITE 1400 [email protected] SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111 STEVEN T. LOWE (214) 701-1875 CALIFORNIA SOCIETY OF [email protected] ENTERTAINMENT LAWYERS 8383 WILSHIRE BLVD., SUITE 1038 BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90211 (310) 477-5811 [email protected] AUGUST 10, 2021 COUNSEL FOR AMICI CURIAE SUPREME COURT PRESS ♦ (888) 958-5705 ♦ BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS i TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ...................................... iii INTEREST OF THE AMICI CURIAE ....................... 1 SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT .................................... 6 ARGUMENT ............................................................. 10 I. COPYRIGHT REGISTRATION IS DESIGNED TO BE ACCOMPLISHED BY CREATORS WITHOUT LEGAL ASSISTANCE, YET THE PROCESS IS RIFE WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF INADVER- TENT ERROR. .................................................... 10 A. The Questions Posed in the Copyright Registration Application Require Complex Legal Analysis and Legal Con- clusions That Vex Even Experienced Copyright Practitioners. ............................. 12 B. Under the Ninth Circuit’s Reasoning, the Penalty for Making a Good-Faith Error in Your Legal Conclusion Can Result in Invalidation of Your Copyright and Its Attendant Protections, a Result That Awards Infringers and Punishes Those Who Were Infringed. ...................... 17 C. Small and Individual Creators Are Dis- proportionally Reliant on Statutory Damage Awards That Are Most Easily Lost When Error Occurs. ........................... 21 II. SECTION 411(b) IS CLEAR: TO CONSTITUTE FRAUD ON THE COPYRIGHT OFFICE, INAC- CURATE INFORMATION MUST BE KNOWN TO BE INACCURATE. .............................................. 23 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS – Continued Page A. A “Knowing Inaccuracy” in a Regis- tration Should Only Be Penalized Based on a Series of Affirmative Choices on the Part of the Copyright Owner. ............ 25 III. FOR INDIVIDUAL AND SMALL CREATORS, THE PROTECTIONS GRANTED BY COPYRIGHT LAW ARE VITAL TO ENSURING THEIR CREATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIETY. .......................... 26 CONCLUSION .......................................................... 31 iii TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Page TABLE OF AUTHORITIES CASES Advisers, Inc. v. Wiesen-Hart, Inc., 238 F.2d 706 (6th Cir. 1956) ............................. 24 Billy-Bob Teeth, Inc. v. Novelty, Inc., 329 F.3d 586 (7th Cir. 2003) ........................... 24 Bouchat v. Baltimore Ravens, Inc., 241 F.3d 350 (4th Cir. 2001) ........................... 23 Bouve v. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp., 122 F.2d 51 (D.C. Cir. 1941) ............................. 24 Fogerty v. Fantasy, Inc., 510 U.S. 517 (1994) ............................................. 20 Fonar Corp. v. Domenick, 105 F.3d 99 (2d Cir. 1997) ................................. 23 Fourth Estate Pub. Benefit Corp. v. Wall- Street.com, LLC, 139 S. Ct. 881 (2019) ............. 10 Gallup, Inc. v. Kenexa Corp., 149 F. App’x 94 (3d Cir. 2005) .......................... 23 Gold Value Int’l Textile v. Sanctuary Clothing, 925 F. 3d 1140 (9th Cir. 2019) ............... 18, 19, 20 Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 136 S. Ct. 1979 (2013) ....................................... 21 Montz v. Pilgrim Films & TV, Inc., 649 F.3d 975 (9th Cir. 2011) ............................ 1 One Treasure Ltd., Inc. v. Richardson, 202 F. App’x 658 (5th Cir. 2006) ....................... 24 Roberts v. Gordy, 877 F.3d 1024 (11th Cir. 2017) ....................... 24 iv TABLE OF AUTHORITIES – Continued Page Torres-Negron v. J & N Records, LLC, 504 F.3d 151 (1st Cir. 2007) .............................. 23 STATUTES 17 U.S.C. § 101 .................................................... 14, 15 17 U.S.C. § 102(a) ..................................................... 10 17 U.S.C. § 411(b) ........................................... 6, 23, 25 17 U.S.C. § 412 .......................................................... 22 17 U.S.C. § 412(2) ..................................................... 22 17 U.S.C. § 504 .......................................................... 22 17 U.S.C. § 504(c)(1)-(2) ............................................ 21 17 U.S.C. § 505 .......................................................... 22 Pub. L. No. 110-403, 122 Stat. 4256 (2008), The Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act (“Pro IP Act”) (2008) ................................................................... 6 JUDICIAL RULES Sup. Ct. R. 37.6 ........................................................... 1 v TABLE OF AUTHORITIES – Continued Page OTHER AUTHORITIES American Intellectual Property Law Association, 2019 Report of the Economic Survey (2019) .................................................... 18 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Photographers, at https:// www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and- communication/photographers.htm .................. 18 Coalition of Visual Artists, Comments in Response to U.S. Copyright Office NOI Re Online Publication, 84 Fed. Reg. 66328 (Dec. 4, 2019) .................................. 15 Deborah R. Gerhardt, Copyright Publication on the Internet, 60 IDEA 1 (2020) ............................................... 14 Dustin Stout, Social Media Statistics 2021: Top Networks By the Numbers, https:// dustinstout.com/social-media-statistics/ .......... 29 eMarketer, Global Instagram Users 2020, https:// www.emarketer.com/content/global- instagram-users-2020 ....................................... 29 Graphics Artist Guild, GRAPHIC ARTISTS GUILD HANDBOOK: PRICING & ETHICAL GUIDELINES ......................... 5 Melville B. Nimmer, Copyright Publication, 56 COLUM. L. REV. 185 (1956) ............................ 16 vi TABLE OF AUTHORITIES – Continued Page Statista, Number of Monthly Active Facebook Users Worldwide as of 2nd Quarter 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/ 264810/number-of-monthly-active- facebook-users-worldwide/ ................................ 29 Stephen E. Siwek, Copyright Industries in the U.S. Economy: The 2018 Report (2018), available at https://iipa.org/files/uploads/ 2018/12/2018CpyrtRptFull.pdf ......................... 27 Thomas F. Cotter, Toward A Functional Definition of Publication in Copyright Law, 92 MINN. L. REV. 1724 (2008) ............................ 17 U.S. Copyright Office, Register Your Work: Registration Portal, https://copyright.gov/registration/ .............. 10, 13 1 INTEREST OF THE AMICI CURIAE1 AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MEDIA PHOTOGRAPHERS, INC. (ASMP) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade association representing thousands of members who create and own substantial numbers of copyrighted photographs. These members all envision, design, produce, and sell their photography in the commercial market to entities as varied as multinational corporations to local mom and pop stores, and every group in between. In its seventy-six-year history, ASMP has been com- mitted to protecting the rights of photographers and promoting the craft of photography.1 CALIFORNIA SOCIETY OF ENTERTAINMENT LAWYERS (CSEL) is an organization consisting of California attorneys who seek to protect and defend the rights of creative professional in the entertainment industry. CSEL strives to provide support to screenwriters, authors, and other creative professionals who are at risk of having their rights egregiously stripped away. CSEL is committed to advocating on behalf of creators, whose claims are so often not sufficiently funded, in a “dog eat dog” industry. Montz v. Pilgrim Films & TV, Inc., 649 F.3d 975, 981 (9th Cir. 2011) (citing Woody Allen, CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS (Orion 1 In accordance with this Court’s Rule 37.6, counsel for amici curiae certify that this brief was not authored in whole or in part by counsel for any party and that no person or entity other than amici curiae, their members, or their counsel have made a monetary contribution intended to fund the preparation or submission of this brief. All parties have consented to the filing of this brief by blanket consent. 2 Pictures 1989)) (“It’s worse than dog eat dog. It’s dog- doesn’t-return-other-dog’s-phone-calls.”). AMERICAN PHOTGRAPHIC ARTISTS (APA) is a not- for-profit trade association of professional photo- graphers and copyright owners. APA members have a strong interest in the issues presented by this case because their businesses and livelihoods depend upon the broadly defined subject matter that is protected under the Copyright Act. ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS) is the largest U.S. visual rights society and Copyright Management Organization (CMO), licensing the copyrights of more than 80,000 artist members worldwide. Its rolls are comprised of painters, sculptors, illustrators, and architects. While ARS’ membership includes both commercial and fine artists and their heirs, the majority of its members are fine artists who create paintings, drawings, limited edition prints and sculp- ture for a market consisting initially of collectors. However, all artists
Recommended publications
  • ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Stakeholders,In,The,Orphan,Works,Debate!
    ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Stakeholders,in,the,Orphan,Works,Debate! ! Arden!Kirkland! IST!618! Raed!M.!Sharif! August!9,!2013! 1 Table&of&Contents& Introduction&...........................................................................................&3! Background&of&Orphan&Works&...................................................................&3! Some&Key&Stakeholders&............................................................................&5! Author's Guild ............................................................................................ 5 Section 1: Identifying the Organization ...................................................... 5 Section 2: Membership or Supporters ........................................................ 5 Section 3: Public Policy Agenda ............................................................... 5 Section 4: Member Interest in the Policies Advocated ................................. 6 Graphic Artist's Guild ................................................................................. 7 Section 1: Identifying the Organization ...................................................... 7 Section 2: Membership or Supporters ........................................................ 7 Section 3: Public Policy Agenda ............................................................... 8 Section 4: Member Interest in the Policies Advocated ................................. 8 Association of American Publishers ............................................................. 9 Section 1: Identifying the Organization .....................................................
    [Show full text]
  • No. 01-18-00534-Cv in the First Court
    ACCEPTED 01-18-00534-CV FIRST COURT OF APPEALS HOUSTON, TEXAS 5/15/2019 3:17 PM CHRISTOPHER PRINE CLERK NO. 01-18-00534-CV IN THE FIRST COURT OF APPEALS HOUSTON, TEXAS University of Houston System, Defendant-Appellant, vs. Jim Olive Photography, D/B/A Photolive, Inc., Plaintiff-Appellee. Appeal from the 295th District Court, Harris County, Texas Trial Court Cause No. 2017-84942; Hon. Caroline E. Baker, Presiding AMICUS BRIEF OF THE NATIONAL PRESS PHOTOGRAPHERS ASSOCIATION, THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MEDIA PHOTOGRAPHERS, AND FOUR OTHER VISUAL ARTISTS GROUPS IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE Thomas Maddrey Alicia Calzada State Bar No. 24092740 State Bar No. 24076296 Maddrey PLLC Alicia Wagner Calzada, PLLC 901 Main St., Ste. 6530 305 E. Ramsey RD, Ste. 305 Dallas, TX 75202 San Antonio, TX 78216 Telephone: (214) 702-9862 Telephone: (210) 825-1449 [email protected] [email protected] GENERAL COUNSEL DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL FOR AMICUS AMERICAN FOR AMICUS NATIONAL PRESS SOCIETY OF MEDIA PHOTOGRAPHERS PHOTOGRAPHERS ASSOCIATION Page i IDENTITIES OF PARTIES AND COUNSEL Alicia Calzada Deputy General Counsel National Press Photographers Association Alicia Wagner Calzada, PLLC State Bar No. 24076296 221 W. Poplar St. San Antonio, TX 78212 Telephone: (210) 825-1449 [email protected] Mickey H. Osterreicher General Counsel National Press Photographers Association 120 Hooper Street Athens, GA 30602 Telephone: (716) 983-7800 [email protected] ATTORNEYS FOR AMICUS NATIONAL PRESS PHOTOGRAPHERS ASSOCIATION Thomas Maddrey General Counsel American Society of Media Photographers Maddrey PLLC State Bar No. 24092740 901 Main St., Ste. 6530 Dallas, TX 75202 Telephone: (214) 701-1875 [email protected] ATTORNEY FOR AMICUS AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MEDIA PHOTOGRAPHERS Page ii TABLE OF CONTENTS IDENTITIES OF PARTIES AND COUNSEL .............................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • About Me I Am an Artist Celebrating Over 24 Years in the Business of Making Books for Children
    About Me I am an artist celebrating over 24 years in the business of making books for children. I have illustrated over 45 books, some of which I have also written. My work has received numerous honors including two Oppenheim Toy Newsletter Gold Awards and a gold award from NAPPA (National Parenting Publication Awards). The New Yorker magazine praised my dimensional work as “tromp l’oile marvels”!! Two of my books have been recently released. Cousins of Clouds, illustrated with Sean Addy, is a book of elephant poems written by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer. In 2011, Cousins of Cloud also made the 100 Books for Reading and Sharing from The New York Public Library. 3 Pandas Planting, which I wrote and illustrated, is about recycling and taking care of the environment. (www.3pandasplanting.com) My editorial illustrations have appeared in many international and national magazines. My love of patterned endpapers in my children’s books led me to create decorative art for licensed products and giftware. My products include mugs, magnets, frames, bookmarks and plaques. One of my recent collaborations is the Farm Fresh product line with Demdaco, a design-driven company based in Leawood, KS, specializing in gifts and home accents. A former Pratt Institute professor, I am currently a professor at Moore College of Art & Design, in Philadelphia, and on the faculty of Marywood University’s MFA Program for Working Professionals. I earned my Masters Degree, in illustration, from this wonderful program. (www.moore.edu www.marywoodmfa.com) I live in the cute, small, town of Lansdowne, PA, where I serve on the borough appointed Arts Board and am co-chair of our annual three-day celebration of music and art- The Lansdowne Arts Festival.
    [Show full text]
  • Visual Arts and the Law: a Bibliography, Part II Gail I
    Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal Volume 10 | Number 3 Article 6 1-1-1988 Visual Arts and the Law: A Bibliography, Part II Gail I. Winson Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/ hastings_comm_ent_law_journal Part of the Communications Law Commons, Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons, and the Intellectual Property Law Commons Recommended Citation Gail I. Winson, Visual Arts and the Law: A Bibliography, Part II, 10 Hastings Comm. & Ent. L.J. 885 (1988). Available at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/hastings_comm_ent_law_journal/vol10/iss3/6 This Note is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal by an authorized editor of UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Visual Arts and the Law: A Bibliography, Part II by GAIL I. WINSON* Contents I. BOOK S ................................................. 886 A. General ............................................ 886 B. Aid to the Arts ................................... 889 C. Art as an Investment ............................. 890 D. Artists ..... ................................ 890 E. Artists' Contracts ................................. 890 F. Artists' Handbooks ............................... 891 G. Auctions ........................................... 893 H. Bibliographies ..................................... 893 I. Copyright
    [Show full text]
  • Adapting the Graphic Novel Format for Undergraduate Level Textbooks
    ADAPTING THE GRAPHIC NOVEL FORMAT FOR UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL TEXTBOOKS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Brian M. Kane, M.A. Graduate Program in Arts Administration, Education, and Policy The Ohio State University 2013 Dissertation Committee: Professor Candace Stout, Advisor Professor Clayton Funk Professor Shari Savage Professor Arthur Efland Copyright by Brian M. Kane 2013 i ABSTRACT This dissertation explores ways in which the graphic narrative (graphic novel) format for storytelling, known as sequential art, can be adapted for undergraduate-level introductory textbooks across disciplines. Currently, very few graphic textbooks exist, and many of them lack the academic rigor needed to give them credibility. My goal in this dissertation is to examine critically both the strengths and weaknesses of this art form and formulate a set of standards and procedures necessary for developing new graphic textbooks that are scholastically viable for use in college-level instruction across disciplines. To the ends of establishing these standards, I have developed a four-pronged information-gathering approach. First I read as much pre factum qualitative and quantitative data from books, articles, and Internet sources as possible in order to establish my base of inquiry. Second, I created a twelve-part dissertation blog (graphictextbooks.blogspot.com) where I was able to post my findings and establish my integrity for my research among potential interviewees. Third, I interviewed 16 professional graphic novel/graphic textbook publishers, editors, writers, artists, and scholars as well as college professors and librarians. Finally, I sent out an online survey consisting of a sample chapter of an existing graphic textbook to college professors and asked if the content of the source material was potentially effective for their own instruction in undergraduate teaching.
    [Show full text]
  • 6005855611.Pdf
    A GRAPHIC DESIGN STUDENT’S GUIDE TO FREELANCE A GRAPHIC DESIGN STUDENT’S GUIDE TO FREELANCE PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Ben Hannam This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, ex- cept as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley. com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with the respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation.
    [Show full text]
  • Comments of the Association of Medical Illustrators
    Comments of the Association of Medical Illustrators Library of Congress U.S. Copyright Office [Docket No. 2015-01] Copyright Protection for Certain Visual Works The Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI) is the sole professional organization for the profession. All medical illustrators rely on the protections of copyright to protect the authenticity and integrity of their work. All rely on the divisibility of exclusive rights to earn their living. All have experienced substantial economic loss despite their utmost proactive actions to protect their rights. AMI is grateful that the Copyright Office is undertaking a much needed inquiry into the impact of current copyright law on visual artists. RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS SET FORTH IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE The Most Significant Challenges Related to Monetizing and/or Licensing Graphic Artwork and Illustrations The challenges facing AMI members are the same as those for all graphic artists, particularly professional illustrators. However, the market for medical publications is smaller than for mass market publications with the result that purchase prices and subscriptions are especially high in comparison with the publishing industry in general. Further, the business environment for medical illustration has experienced two especially significant changes in recent years that create a much more hostile environment for licensing and monetization than in the past. These are: (1) the consolidation of the Scientific, Technical and Medical (STM) publishing industry with the result that a handful of giant multinational publishing companies control the conditions of licensing for medical illustration, and (2) the disproportionately extensive and rapid migration from print distribution to electronic distribution, often through site licenses offered by publishers and content aggregators to physicians, hospitals, clinics, universities and medical research institutions.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Catalog
    ® COLLEGE OF ART nossi.edu 2020-23 ACADEMIC CATALOG GRAPHIC DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHY ILLUSTRATION VIDEO & FILM CULINARY ARTS ® COLLEGE OF ART nossi.edu 2020-23 ACADEMIC CATALOG VOLUME 30 May 2020 Established 1973 Accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and College 590 Creative Way Nashville, TN 37115 615-514-2787 (ARTS) 1-888-986-2787 (ARTS) TABLE OF CONTENTS A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT .............................................................................................1 ACCREDITATION, APPROVALS & MEMBERSHIPS .........................................................................2 OUR MISSION STATEMENT .........................................................................................................3 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE .........................................................................................4-5 FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT & STUDENT SERVICES .......................................................................6-9 ALL ACCESS .........................................................................................................................10-11 ASSOCIATE OF OCCUPATIONAL STUDIES (AOS) COMMERCIAL DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY ...........12-17 ASSOCIATE OF OCCUPATIONAL STUDIES (AOS) CULINARY ARTS ............................................18-21 BACHELOR OF GRAPHIC ARTS (BGA) COMMERCIAL ILLUSTRATION .......................................22-29 BACHELOR OF GRAPHIC ARTS (BGA) GRAPHIC DESIGN MEDIA .............................................30-37 BACHELOR OF GRAPHIC ARTS (BGA) COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
    [Show full text]
  • Music and Entertainment Community Statement on Final Passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 10, 2021 Music and Entertainment Community Statement on Final Passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, representatives of the American music and entertainment community issued the following statement on the passage of the COVID-19 relief and economic stimulus bill: “The American Rescue Plan provides absolutely essential economic relief for workers in the American creative community who continue to face an uncertain path back to work due to the pandemic. This legislation’s extension of CARES Act and Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation benefits into early September, as well as critical tax forgiveness for the first $10,200 of unemployment insurance claimed in 2020, will provide much-needed certainty for creative community workers and their families. We are also grateful for the inclusion of additional funds for shuttered venue operators and live entertainment businesses, and continued support for the Paycheck Protection Program. Businesses are in desperate need of these funds. “We are hopeful that enactment of the American Rescue Plan is one more step toward a future where music and entertainment are again at the center of our lives and communities, and where creative community workers can put the hardship of the pandemic behind them. Until then, we will continue to work as one community to advocate for greater, enhanced relief and ensure policymakers at all levels understand American creators’ outsized contribution to our economy and our culture.” Actors’ Equity Association
    [Show full text]
  • Coalition of Visual Artists - Comments in Response to U.S
    Submitted January 15, 2019 COALITION OF VISUAL ARTISTS - COMMENTS IN RESPONSE TO U.S. COPYRIGHT OFFICE NOI RE REGISTRATION MODERNIZATION FR 2018-9, FED. REG. VOL. 83, NO. 201 (OCTOBER 17, 2018) 52337 AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTISTS, AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR COLLECTIVE RIGHTS LICENSING, AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MEDIA PHOTOGRAPHERS, DIGITAL MEDIA LICENSING ASSOCIATION, EUGENE MOPSIK, GRAPHIC ARTISTS GUILD, NATIONAL PRESS PHOTOGRAPHERS ASSOCIATION, NORTH AMERICAN NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY ASSOCIATION, PLUS COALITION, PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS OF AMERICA, SHAFTEL & SCHMELZER TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................... 1 II. WHAT IS A “MODERNIZED” REGISTRATION SYSTEM? ............................................................................. 4 THE CURRENT SYSTEM IS BROKEN FOR MANY INDIVIDUAL CREATORS AND SMALL BUSINESSES .........................................4 SEEING THE PROBLEMS THROUGH THE EYES OF CREATORS..................................................................................................................5 MODERNIZATION WILL REQUIRE AN OPEN PROCESS AND BOLD ACTION, NOT CREEPING INCREMENTALISM ..................7 BROAD GOALS AND PRINCIPLES OF A MODERNIZED REGISTRATION SYSTEM .................................................................................8 1. Simple and Easy ..............................................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Nobody Can Compete with Free, 38 Colum
    SHAFTEL, NOBODY CAN COMPETE WITH FREE, 38 COLUM. J.L. & ARTS 319 (2015) Nobody Can Compete with Free Lisa Shaftel* My heartfelt thanks to June M. Besek for organizing this Symposium at the Kernochan Center, and inviting me to participate on a panel as a representative of graphic artists. Usually the people who are invited to speak on panels or testify at hearings are aggregators or distributors of copyrighted works (publishers, production companies, stock image companies, etc.), IP attorneys representing large trade associations of corporate rights holders and law professors. Rarely are working professional artists invited to explain what we do in the marketplace and how we work with our clients. I am honored and very grateful for this opportunity, as well as the opportunity to write for the Journal. June prepared those of us she invited on her panel by giving us some questions to discuss. In addition to our shared time at the Symposium, she suggested that we could write more for the Journal. There is so much more that I’d like to elaborate on for her first question to us: “What is it like to earn a living in the current environment (obstacles and advantages, whether it’s harder or easier than when you got into your field, etc.)?” I. WHEN I STARTED . I was the last generation to go through school, including graduate school, without ever touching a computer (except for a cash machine at the bank). Back then, when designers and illustrators used pencils and rapidographs to draw on vellum or illustration board, you had to be able to draw to be accepted to an undergrad art or design program.
    [Show full text]
  • 08 Annual Report
    08 ANNUAL REPORT from the director | 08 ANNUAL REPORT Dear Friends, 2008 was a monumental year for the Museum of Arts and Design. On June 2nd, we closed our doors on West 53rd Street forever. A gathering that evening brought Board of Trustees members, staff, and friends together to celebrate our achievements in that space—and to look forward to the opening of the Museum’s new home in late September. A flurry of activity—starting with a media preview and continuing through the Mayor’s cutting of the ribbon surrounding 2 Columbus Circle to a grand free public art festival on the weekend of September 27—heralded the opening of the newest, and most enthusiastically embraced, cultural institution in New York City. You will read, elsewhere in this report, of the 10,000 people who stood outside 2 Columbus Circle opening weekend to be the first into the new Museum; of the open studios, where for the first time in New York City artists in our field came together with the museum-going public to discuss and show their work in process; of the educational programs which have brought thousands of children, teachers, and families to the center of Manhattan to learn by doing. You’ll read of the technological advances in the new Museum; of the remarkable new public and retail spaces; and of Holly Hotchner the thousands of people who joined the Museum as members in its first three months Nanette L. Laitman Director on Columbus Circle. You’ll read the story of how a small museum—the brainchild of one remarkable woman, Aileen Osborne Webb—grew into the nation’s premier destination for the study of contemporary craft, arts, and design.
    [Show full text]