Tell your Congressmen how infringing websites affect your livelihood. Sign this letter.
- To find and email your Senator, click here.
- To find and email your House Representative, click here.
Write a letter. Writing a letter to your newspaper Editor helps inform your local community about the affects infringing websites have on your livelihood. For tips on how to write a letter to your editor, click here.
In order to increase chances of publication:
- Look for articles in your local newspaper that talk about artist issues, copyright, new technology, the economy, or other relevant topics, and seek to relate your letter to the article.
- Highlight who you are, why you are concerned, and what copyright protection for your works means to you. Note that rogue websites are infringing on your work, and that fighting to have your work removed from such sites is taking away from your ability to innovate and be creative. This takes away money from your community in terms of people whose services you would ordinarily rely on in creating and distributing your work, and deprives you of much needed income from your hard work.
Speak up on blogs and listservs. Here is a blog about a musician who spoke out in favor of the bill on a website. When he did so, others verbally attacked him calling him a “greedy pig” among other things. This musician and other artists need your support on this effort. Post blogs and comments on your own websites or on websites like this one.
Sign this: Artists based in Europe have posted an online petition outlining the “Rights of Artists.” Read it and consider signing it: www.theartistscharter.org
Tweet this: Stop #digital theft of #creative works. Join other #artists and #creators and learn more at http://bit.ly/hF2j32
Facebook this: Digital theft occurs when something – like a song, movie, visual image, or text – is made available online for further distribution in violation of copyright law and without the consent of the artist, creator, or author. Join other artists and creators in stopping digital theft. Learn more at www.artistsagainstdigitaltheft.com
