We recently requested graphic artists to respond to survey put out by the Guild and other associations. The purpose of this survey is to gather information about infringement of copyrighted images on the internet, as well as the effective use of the DMCA take-down notice. The deadline for survey responses has been extended to midnight, March 20th.

The United States Copyright Office (USCO) is conducting a public study to evaluate the effectiveness of a provision of the Copyright Act that provides Internet Service Providers (ISPs) with relief from legal action and monetary damages if they remove infringing copyrighted content expeditiously after notice.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), Section 512 established a system for copyright owners and online entities to address online infringement. The legislation intended for copyright owners and ISPs to cooperate to detect and address copyright infringements and to remove the infringing content.

This is commonly referred to as the “Notice and Take Down” provision of the DMCA.

Copyright owners are required to send a proper notice to an ISP’s registered agent that identifies the infringing content on a particular URL and state that the use is infringing. The responsibility is on the copyright owner or its representative to identify each infringing use and send a new notice each time a work is displayed without permission.

The associations listed below will file a comment letter for this study, due on March 21, 2016. We are conducting this survey to gather information about your experiences. This is your opportunity to engage in advocacy to benefit all American creators.

This survey will close at midnight on Monday, March 21, 2016.

Thank you for your time and participation!

American Photographic Artists
American Society of Media Photographers
Digital Media Licensing Association
Graphic Artists Guild
National Press Photographers Association
North American Nature Photography Association
Professional Photographers of America
PLUS (The Picture Licensing Universal System)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column]