Well isn't this interesting, and I can see why everyone's making such a fuss. This guy's not making it any better either. I saw red when I read this article, though I can see why he's so pissed. [link]

Fuck you Orphan Works act. Seriously.

No freaking out people, I know I did at first, but that article is just adding fuel to the fire and he doesn't even have his facts straight for the most part. I swear THAT three pages of raving madness is what's got this whole site in an uproar! He should have sat down and meditated before typing that thing up. Srsly.

Take a breather. I'm not saying ignore it, but actually do some research before you go on and rave about it like “OMGZ,they'regoingtostealmyartworkzohnoes!igotztowarneverybody!” Chill. Take this rationally. I admit being a member of the online art community since 2003 this does have me concerned. Really, though, think of it this way. They've been trying to get this bill to pass for over three years. THREE. Do you really think it's going to pass?

Here are some petitions you can sign if you're really really worried about it like me:

[link]

[link]

Feel better now? Here, how bout some facts:

[link]

[link]

AND, you can also read this - [link] That posted, adds a rational view to the whole thing.

Personally, I don't know what to think, I'm just personally keeping my wits about me and will sign every petition against it that I can find and hope it helps.

. . . And I have now officially joined the masses and posted a Journal about a topic that everyone seems to be freaking out about. Aren't I special? I think I'm going to try to bite my ear and beat my chest at the same time.

Love you all! Well, most of you.
~Viper

**********
EDIT:

Wow, now don't I feel stupid? All this Commotion over a guy who didn't even get his facts straight. I just want to take this moment in time to ever so sarcastically 'thank you' Mark Simon, for being such a goddamned idiot and causing this whole community to freak the fuck out. Thank you, thank you so very much.

In case you haven't figured out what I'm talking about yet, here's the link to an article I recently found - [link]

But, just to save you some time and reading, I'll just directly quote the part that matters most:

"Of course, it would be cynical of me to suggest that over-the-top language and ODDLY CAPITALIZED RANTING makes for good links to get one's interviews listened to and one's columns read; I am sure that Simon really does think there's an imminent, immediate danger requiring ACTION on the part of readers to contact their congressmen.

Is this actually the case, though?

Well, we could look up the bill and check.

As per Mark Simon's column, and the information on the Illustrators' Partnership web site, the H.R. bill number in the house is ...

Oh, wait.

They don't list a number for the bill. Anywhere. Nobody does.

Why?

Because there is no bill before Congress that enacts any sort of Orphan Works Act.

Repeating that:

There is no bill before Congress that enacts any sort of Orphan Works Act.

There was a bill in 2006, called the 'Orphan Works Act of 2006' (H.R. 5439), introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) on May 22, 2006, with no co-sponsors. H.R. 5439 was introduced in the House Judiciary Committee, which assigned it to the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property. The subcommittee passed it back up to the full Judiciary Committee with a voice vote.

The full committee did nothing with the bill and it died in committee.

The Orphan Works Act has not been reintroduced during the 2008 congressional session.

Will it be? Possibly.

What will it say? Nobody knows yet -- Illustrators' Partnership admits as much in an update on their web site.

And yet you still have Mark Simon, exhorting everyone to immediately contact all of their elected officials.

All this for a bill that didn't even get a full committee vote, let alone a House vote, in 2006 and which hasn't even been introduced yet? (And is Simon really politically naive enough to think that you should contact your state legislators and governor about a Congressional bill which doesn't exist?)."

Well, now that all that's settled, guess we can go back to whatever state of normality that you call home.