US creators against US Congress
Over 1,500 creators have signed a letter sent to to US Congress “affirming core copyright principles held by the creative community.”
Signatories include creators in the fields of film and television, book publishing, photography, graphic design, and music communities, as well as leaders of creative unions and guilds, among them Rick Carnes, president of the Songwriters Guild of America (pictured), musician, composer and producer T Bone Burnett, and filmmakers such as Taylor Hackford.
The move comes as the 114th Congress and the Copyright Office are currently reviewing US copyright law. The sponsors of this initiative are two of the main advocacy groups for creators and creative industries, the Washignton, DC-based Copyright Alliance and Los Angeles-based CreativeFuture. The letters intend to “demonstrating broad support among creatives for a strong copyright system.”
Over 1,200 members of the Copyright Alliance and over 350 members of CreativeFuture signed the letter in which they affirm five key principles:
– We embrace the internet as a powerful democratizing force for our world and for creative industries.
– We embrace a strong copyright system that rewards creativity and promotes a healthy creative economy.
– We proudly assert that copyright promotes and protects free speech.
– Copyright should protect creatives from those who would use the internet to undermine creativity.
– Creatives must be part of the conversation and stand up for creativity.
“There is no ‘left’ or ‘right’ when it comes to respecting copyright,” write the signatories. “The creative community stands united in support of a copyright system that has made and continues to make the United States the global leader in the creative arts and the global paradigm for free expression. Our copyright system is not perfect but, like democracy, it is better than the alternatives. It works. We urge Congress to resist attempts to erode the right of creatives to determine when and how they share their works in the global marketplace.”
LA-based CreativeFuture is a coalition made up of more than 350 companies and organizations – encompassing film, television, music, and book publishing – that promotes the value of creativity, expanded digital access to legitimate content, and the fundamental right of creators to determine how their works are distributed.
The Copyright Alliance is a Washington, DC based non-profit, non-partisan public interest and educational organization representing artists and creators across the spectrum of copyright disciplines, including more than 40 trade association, companies and guilds.
Source: Music Week
