Call To Action
Congress has requested the US Copyright office look into setting up a small claims court system for small time copyright infringement. Imagine how wonderful it would be if you would press for intellectual property theft damages under ~$10,000 without a lawyer in the room. This is a chance for freelancers to level the field a bit. Please inject yourself into the public hearings in New York City Nov 15th-16th and/or LA Nov 26th-27th if you are within traveling distance. You must submit a request to participate by Thursday so, PLEASE, do it now!
What Does It Mean?
Just imagine… Imagine getting some cash after someone uses your comps to build a website without paying you or pirates your little $5 utility. Imagine being able to put some teeth into your contact with the local billboard company that is using your free-for-personal-use typeface and refuses to cough up a measly $100. Think about how nice it would be to be paid for your photos that ended up being used for years by that regional rag that was bought by the lawyered-up media chain because, “Hey we bought ’em!” Usually these things aren’t worth more than a few grand and it’s better to shake the dirt off your feet than hire a lawyer. With small claims court you needn’t do either.
Learn More
http://www.copyright.gov/docs/smallclaims/
A typographic, designological, visulicious extravaganza!