Copyright Laws in Jeopardy

Not too long ago, I posted about copyright laws. There always seemed to be a bit of confusion as to whether an author should pay to have a work copyrighted or not.

I leaned, and still do, to the side of self copyright. Unfortunately, it appears as though the practice of self-copyright may very well be in jeopardy. A while back, I recall signing a petition at http://www.owoh.org to send to Congress in regard to this issue.

The crux of the matter lies with what I call the "softening" of a law. Anytime you weaken the language of a law you create a loophole that can be used to circumvent that law. This is what is happening with copyright law.

Don't take my word for it, read the proposed bill in its entirety and decide for yourself. http://www.publicknowledge.org/pdf/ow-act-2006.pdf This bill can and will affect writers. Take the time to read this bill. And if you are still not convinced read why the Orphan Works Opposition group is so vehemently opposed to the passing of this bill.

Don't wait. The bill has already passed the Senate.

Can you really afford $40 per book to register each and every one of your works?

On another note, don't forget to stop by and take a look at the Endless Romance Writing Contest entries. Vote for your favorite entry. The winners will be announced at the Midnight Seductions Authors big One Year Anniversary Bash on December 15, Noon EST till we drop. (announcement at 9pm EST). http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midnightseductions