Join ASMP and other creator groups for a Blue Wave on Capitol Hill in support of CASE Act on June 26th. We are looking for members in the DC, Maryland, Virginia, and metro regions who are willing to travel to Capitol Hill to demonstrate their support for the CASE Act to join us at a Copyright Office hearing on Wednesday, June 26th. Participating creators would be asked to sit in the audience at the hearing…
ASMP members need to know that from a legal perspective, dealing with a state entity, such as a state-run college, may prove very different than interacting with a private entity or person. Simply put, there is a longstanding doctrine of state sovereign immunity that, in general, prevents private citizens from recovering money in a lawsuit against a state instrumentality — unless immunity has been abolished by judicial or legislative action. Troubled by successful assertions by…
While passage of the Copyright Alternative in Small Claims Enforcement Act of 2019 (CASE Act), HR 2426/S.1273, in this session of Congress remains the top legislative priority for ASMP, we continue to focus on other aspects of the copyright system and modernization of the U.S. Copyright Office (USCO) itself. Regularly, we respond to requests from the USCO to offer public comment on their activities and policies. These afford us the chance to give voice to…
As previously communicated, Members of Congress and their staffs have asked for hard data in support of our claim that infringement income loss is a huge problem for visual creators in order to secure introduction and passage of the CASE Act. To respond to that request, we sent out the 2019 ASMP Copyright Infringement Survey in early April to gather data to back up individual stories of infringements that have caused harm to photographers,…
On May 23, the Copyright Alliance hosted a lunch briefing for members of Congress and their staffs to discuss the importance of H.R. 2426 and S. 1273, the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2019 (the CASE Act). Keith Kupferschmid, CEO, Copyright Alliance, moderated a panel comprised of Frank Cullen, Vice President of U.S. Intellectual Property Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Tom Kennedy, Executive Director, American Society of Media Photographers; and Michael Lewan, Director of…
Cross-posted from ipwatchdog.com [by Jenna Close] “It is extremely uncomfortable and difficult to explain to a client that, while I own the copyright to the work I create specifically for their brand, in practice I have no way to pursue unauthorized use of that work.” ________________________ I have heard it said that a right without a remedy isn’t really a right. This saying completely and accurately sums up my experience with copyright infringement in the modern…
Member Infringement Stories In responding to our CASE Act advocacy efforts, members of Congress want to hear from visual creators about infringement of their creative work. If you have had your work infringed, we invite you to share your story by submitting a one page statement about infringement of your work that ASMP can present to Representatives and their staffs in advocacy meetings. Please submit your one-page statement about the infringement of your work and…
ASMP Executive Director Tom Kennedy and Mike Klipper, ASMP copyright counsel, are on the Hill this week with other creator group representatives meeting with House and Senate staff. This photo was taken with Senator Blumenthal (D-CT) after meeting with Blumenthal’s Chief Counsel, Sam Simon, to brief him on benefits of the Senate’s CASE Act bill (S1273) for creators and small business owners. Additional meetings with Senators and Representatives are scheduled this week, with a Visual Group…
Join us at an in-district meeting with your Representative! ASMP and other creator groups supporting efforts to enact the CASE Act are in the process of scheduling in-district meetings with key legislators on the House Judiciary Committee during their upcoming Congressional breaks in May, June, and July. We would like to invite members to join us at these in-district meetings as representatives of the photographic community to show their support of the CASE Act…