The “Orphan Works” copyright threat

I only recently found out about the plans to reform the U.S. Copyright Act, and about the Copyright Office’s Notice of Inquiry asking visual artists for comments. Luckily, there was still time for me to participate in the process, and I received much of my information through the ArtLicensingShow.com website, on a post titled Your Copyrights Could Be Undergoing Drastic Changes! – Orphan Works Discussion Deadline 7-23-2015

It’s taken me a couple of days of drafting and editing to compose my submission, but I’ve managed to finish it and send it in through the online form before tomorrow’s deadline. Phew!

This is a subject that matters very much to me, since I make my living through my art and I feel strongly about how my works are used — and how I don’t want them to be used! Copyright protection is paramount to my livelihood and moral rights as a creator.

The submissions will eventually be published on the copyright.gov website, but I thought I’d also publish mine here. The preferred submission format was PDF, so that’s the format I’ve used. You can read it here:

Marian-Buchanan-Copyright-Office-Letter-2015-07-22

Any thoughts?

A better version of Jesse’s Dream Skirt

Magnus issue #2

As you know from my previous post, Jesse’s Dream Skirt is a children’s story about a little boy who wears a skirt to daycare. But did you know there are actually two published versions of the story?

Before it was picked up by the feminist publishing collective Lollipop Power, the story was first printed in 1977 in a “socialist journal of gay liberation” called Magnus. The magazine only had two issues before it folded, and the story appeared in issue #2. Continue reading