The Future of Artist's Copyright Is Not At Risk!

Updated Foreword: There was some confusion as to the authenticity of this legislation, but Brollonks brought it to my attention that this is indeed real, and provided links to the official government website that back this up. It is not a hoax. However, misunderstandings of the severity and implications of the report have occurred, which we can now clear up for you: No, there is no bill. But, yes there is just a notice of inquiry at the moment.

It will likely not affect us. However it is important to keep an eye on these things.

Again (to reinforce this point) we do not need to be afraid! As Homophones brought to my attention, the "legislation" is actually just a "note of inquiry". That means that it is a hearing where comments and opinions are invited, but no rules have as yet been proposed. There is no bill yet... this is only one of multiple preliminary moves required by law before a bill can start to go through Congress. 

We are OKAY!!! Nothing will change yet, but it is still important to be vigilant and aware of such matters.

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THE ORIGINAL JOURNAL (UNEDITED TEXT that was written before we realised it was just a "Note of Inquiry"):


Hello everyone on Deviantart. I am making this journal to address a very pressing matter, and to help raise awareness of a topic that I am, quite frankly, horrified that people aren't talking about more. Even the news seems mostly ignorant of such a serious issue. I am talking about new proposed copyright laws that basically mean your art is no longer protected since you make it.

Professional artists rely on the sale of their work to make a living. Art is their job. It is what they do to stay alive, and it is very difficult. Many, many artists have to hold down a second or even third job just to afford basic living expenses.

I, myself, am a student in art college. I have spent the last decade of my life (pretty much half my life) preparing to be a professional artist. In addition to this I have made my own music, created my own short animations and I am (slowly) writing my own book. They were intended as a sort of backup source of money should I not make enough with just my art alone. I was also planning on making money from my artwork through royalties in the future. Everything I do pretty much involves the creation of original works. If this legislation gets passed I won't have a future as an artist. In fact, I may not have a future.

This legislation means that it will be impossible to sustain a job as a fine artist if I have to register everything to keep copyright. I'll probably have to pay more money towards registration than some of the pieces I make would sell for. This kind of legislation is wrong. It is severely damaging for anyone whose job relies on the creation of intellectual property and original works.