We Want YOU to Help Protect Orphan Works
Copyright can be enough of a problem when copyright claimants make unreasonable demands, but sometimes, it’s even worse when you can’t find the copyright holder at all. Documentaries dont get broadcast; books don’t get published; films don’t get restored; digital materials don’t get archived, all because they use or incorporate works whose owners cant be traced, so there’s no one from whom to seek permission. In many cases, orphan works are lost because no one can authorize their use.
Read more at Copyfight and if this sets you to thinking about ways you or others you know have been affected by the “orphan works” problem, head over to submit a reply comment via OrphanWorks.org.
I faced something similar while looking up Patent Applications. In some cases the original inventors were dead.
I’m still figuring out whether to pay their dues to their governments (in my specific case the present govt. is not even legitimate) or just spend it myself.
:)
Comment by Pritam Shetty — May 30, 2005 @ 11:11 pm
i can help donate some money to an orphan.
Comment by charles — June 5, 2005 @ 7:37 am