Alex's Abstract

To survive as an artist can be a difficult task, considering there are many others after the same opportunities as oneself. It’s a never ending competition as to who can be the most creative, original, or inspirational in their field. As artists struggle to find their own voice and share it with the rest of the world, they must seek out a way in doing so. The most popular way of becoming known in the world is through the Internet. Artists are able to communicate and interact with others in hopes of getting their name out to the world and becoming recognized for what they have accomplished. However, a big issue has arisen, which are concerning artists everywhere about posting their work online. Throughout human existence, there has always been one form or another of stealing. Stealing was once something done physically, but due to recent technology, it is now even easier to steal digitally. As more artists enter newly to the competitive world, it becomes a common worry of losing ideas or creations without being properly credited. Such occurrences are not only common with amateurs on the Internet, but also with businesses as well. Certain actions have been in debate regarding how to protect an artist’s work. One big example would be the Orphan Works act, in which abandoned licensed material may be used if the creator cannot be found. This has worried many artists because of certain loop holes that can take place, such as a group or individual taking someone’s work without ever attempting to find the creator, then proceeding to use the work for their own personal gain. With the advancements in technology today, a new evolution on the Internet must be done. All art posted on the Internet should be registered in a new system that legally binds artists to their work, ensuring that due credit is received.

ugh.. I don't like it :(

Might try a second attempt lol.

:EDIT:

Attempt #2:

The world has always seen one form or another of thievery, especially with creative works or ideas. Artists today commonly use the Internet for exposure of their work in hopes of becoming known individuals. However, no matter what form a creative work is in, it is always in danger of being stolen. Many occurrences have come about regarding new artists entering the online scene. Many art communities have been established for such people, where they can communicate and share art with others around the world. These communities are just an example of ways an individual’s art can lead to the hands of another and used, without permission, for their personal gain. In the Orphan Works Act, it is stated that any creative work with the intent of being used for financial gain requires a search for the original creator prior to its usage. The Orphan Works Act may be useful in some situations, such as the usage of old licensed work that is no longer receiving any income, but regarding the work for new artists, problems may arise. Groups or individuals may take the work and lie, claiming that they had searched for the original creator, but were not able to find them. With technology continuously growing and the Internet continuously evolving, it may be possible to reduce the thief rate and lower the concerns. All art posted on the Internet should be registered in a new system that legally binds artists to their work, ensuring that due credit is received. Such a system will be able to inter-connect with art communities, and ask the artist to fill out information on the creative work before submitting it. These works would be filed in an archive, which can be accessed at any time if an original creator for a piece needs to be found. The system would work similarly to google’s search engine, except the user would upload the image and in return, wait for a copy to be found, containing the information of the original creator from when that image was first uploaded to the Internet.

Danny Abstract

As artists, it’s important to know what’s happening in the art community as well as the Internet art community. The copyright laws that have been put in place to protect intellectual properties are changing. The Orphan Works bill will change how an artist’s work is used in the world, opening up more possibilities for intellectual property to be stolen. There is a clear split between the people that think the Orphan Works bill is a great opportunity to fix copyright problems and people that think this is just making it easier for people to steal an artist’s work. Big industry giants, such as the MPAA and the RIAA are onboard with the Orphan Works bill. The industry little guys, such as illustrators and photographers however, are not so quick to agree to what this bill proposes. It can sometimes be hard, especially when the Internet is involved, for an artist to receive the credit he/she properly deserves. If passed, the Orphan Works bill could make things more difficult for artists to utilize the Internet to get their work out to a wider audience without the fear of someone stealing it from them. That is why all art posted on the Internet should be registered in a new system that legally binds artists to their work, ensuring that due credit is received.