Orphan Works passed by US Senate

September 29, 2008

Away from the hullabaloo of the crisis on Wall St the Orphan Works Act passed the U.S. Senate . It was amended at the 11th hour with a small concession for copyright holders.

According to the PDN web site… The bill spells out, for the first time, what is considered a “diligent effort” to search for and contact a rights holder. Of all the proposals kicked around in Congress since 2006, this bill goes furthest in defining these searches.

Even if the current bill never makes it through the House and into law, it may provide a glimpse into the future of copyright – and how photographers can start acting now to make sure their images never fall into “orphan” status.