$realitysquared already wrote a journal about this a few weeks ago. This has been circulating around, and apparently people don't really understand what the act is about. It does not mean art theft is legal, it just changes things concerning works where the copyright holder cannot be found or contacted for an extended period of time.

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The bill is meant to resolve issues of artworks where the original creators cannot be located or DEAD. In the US, it seems that you're not even entitled to own your ID photo with your ugly face on it because it was taken by a photographer who you don't even recognize. Other examples like old documents and pictures of 100 years old where the original creators are buried 6 feet deep are considered 'Orphaned Works' because the original owners are DEAD. So people who wants to use it for projects or exhibits are in vain as they can't get permissions from dead people. That's why this bill was created.

Unfortunately, there are flaws in this bill where the matter of TRUST is highly questionable, which illustrator bodies like IllustratorPartnership are against it because it does not guarantee protections for copyright owners like CG artists and digital photographers-who only produce PC-based materials which are easy plagiarize targets.

As for me, if the bill just couldn't protect artists and photographers copyrights and allowing piracy to become more rampant, I will not let it passed too. For more orphaned work infos, you should either google it or surf up to IllustratorPartnership site

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Remember, remember the Fifth of November
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot
I know of no reason Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should Ever be Forgot