[SOA] Fwd: TAKE ACTION: Orphan Works Legislation

[Janet Carleton]

Subject: [saaleaderlist] TAKE ACTION:  Orphan Works Legislation
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 10:56:29 -0500
From: "Nancy Beaumont" <nbeaumont at archivists.org>
To: <saaleaderlist at lists.archivists.org>
Sender: saaleaderlist-owner at lists.archivists.org

POSTED ON BEHALF OF SAA PRESIDENT ELIZABETH ADKINS:

On May 24, the House Subcommittee on the Courts, the Internet and 
Intellectual Property, Committee on the Judiciary approved H.R. 5439, the 
"Orphan Works Act of 2006."  Overall, the legislation as introduced 
constitutes a very positive step forward in solving many orphan works 
concerns raised by archives, libraries, and others in the cultural 
community.  The legislative solution includes U.S., foreign, published, and 
unpublished works, and presents a relatively flexible system for users and 
institutions regarding what constitutes a reasonable search for orphan 
works. Since approval by the Subcommittee, some additional changes (e.g., 
state sovereign immunity provisions) have been proposed to the legislation.

It is critically important for members of the House Committee on the 
Judiciary to receive letters of support for H.R. 5439 as soon as 
possible.  As members of the Committee are hearing mostly from opponents of 
the legislation, it is important that the Committee hear NOW from 
supporters of the orphan works legislation.

A sample letter and a list of members of the Judiciary Committee are 
included below.  If a member of the Judiciary Committee is in your state 
delegation, please fax letters or place calls to them as soon as 
possible.  For specific contact information, go to 
<http://www.house.gov/judiciary>http://www.house.gov/judiciary.

Please let me know if I can provide additional information.  My thanks in 
advance.

--------

Dear Representative:

On behalf of _______, I am writing in strong support of H.R. 5439, the 
"Orphan Works Act of 2006."  This legislation, once enacted, will greatly 
help to make cultural heritage more broadly available to the public.  I ask 
that you support this legislation when H.R. 5439 is considered by the 
Committee on the Judiciary.

The special collections in our libraries, museums, state and local 
historical societies, and archives are deep and rich in our Nation's 
cultural and scientific heritage.  These collections include significant 
amounts of orphan works, works whose owners are difficult or impossible to 
locate.  These repositories with orphan works are not being made publicly 
available for fear of copyright owners coming forward and demanding unknown 
amounts of compensation.  Despite extensive and costly searches to locate 
orphan work owners, without a legislative solution, the risk remains too 
high for _____ institution to make these works publicly available.

Resolving the orphan works problem will present significant new educational 
opportunities because these works will be publicly accessible and available 
to students, faculty, and the public.  Access to these resources supports 
and inspires new scholarship by making the works of previous generations 
more accessible and useful to current users.

Thank you in advance for considering this request.

Sincerely,

-----------------------------------------------

For specific contact information, go to 
<http://www.house.gov/judiciary>http://www.house.gov/judiciary
Hon. Sensenbrenner Jr., Chairman, Wisconsin Hon. Hyde, Illinois Hon. Coble, 
North Carolina Hon. Smith, Texas Hon. Gallegly, California Hon. Goodlatte, 
Virginia Hon. Chabot, Ohio Hon. Lungren, California Hon. Jenkins, Tennessee 
Hon. Cannon, Utah Hon. Bachus, Alabama Hon. Inglis, South Carolina Hon. 
Hostettler, Indiana Hon. Green, WI Hon. Keller, Florida Hon. Issa, 
California Hon. Flake, Arizona Hon. Pence, Indiana Hon. Forbes, Virginia 
Hon. King, Iowa Hon. Feeney, Florida Hon. Franks, Arizona Hon. Gohmert, 
Texas Hon. Conyers Jr., Ranking Member, Michigan Hon. Berman, California 
Hon. Boucher, Virginia Hon. Nadler, New York Hon. Scott, Virginia Hon. 
Watt, North Carolina Hon. Lofgren, California Hon. Jackson Lee, Texas Hon. 
Waters, California Hon. Meehan, Massachusetts Hon. Delahunt, Massachusetts 
Hon. Wexler, Florida Hon. Weiner, New York Hon. Schiff, California Hon. 
Sánchez, California Hon. Van Hollen, Jr., Maryland Hon. Wasserman Schultz, 
Florida

--------

Elizabeth W. Adkins, CA
President, Society of American Archivists


______________
   Janet M. Carleton - <carleton at ohio.edu> - 740/597-2527
Digital Initiatives Coordinator / Women's Studies Bibliographer
      Alden 235A, Ohio University Libraries, Athens, Ohio
              <http://www.library.ohiou.edu/> 
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