The US Congress, in it's infinite wisdom is poised to trash international copyright law with the euphemistically titled
Orphan Works Act. Essentially they are resurrecting the same bill that failed to pass in 2006.
Current copyright law states that you own a copyright as soon as you create something. International law also supports this. The Orphan Works Act would
coerce every photographer, illustrator, painter, etc to register all of their work (for a fee for each registery) or risk having it stolen. (And I mean
anything. Any and every jot, doodle, sketch rough draft...)
By the way, International law (and current US law) prohbits coersion of copyright registry. That's going to be out the window.
Read about it.
Fight it!
And pass this info on.