David Trust, CEO of Professional Photographers of America, will represent Professional Photographers of America (PPA), the International Association of Professional Event Photographers (IAPEP), Commercial Photographers International (CPI) and the Student Photographic Society (SPS) in an appearance before the House Intellectual Property Subcommittee on Wednesday, March 8 at 2 p.m. EST.
Trust will speak in opposition to the Copyright Office’s legislative proposal on orphan works. The proposal, in its current state, could devalue thousands of professional images and in some cases, eliminate the damages available against an infringer of an orphan work. “While well-intentioned, the Copyright Office’s proposal would strip thousands of photographers and other visual artists of their rights,” said Trust. “Unless major modifications are made, legislation based on this proposal would be disastrous.”
An orphan work is a work presumed to have copyright protection, but whose owner cannot be located even after a good faith search.
To watch the testimony online, visit the subcommittee’s website: http://judiciary.house.gov/schedule.aspx
For more details on the Copyright Office’s proposal, visit:
http://www.ppa.com/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=543
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