On July 20th, the Guild joined members of the Coalition of Visual Artists for productive meetings with Congressional staff on key copyright issues. The meeting is part of the Guild’s ongoing advocacy efforts on copyright reform on behalf of graphic artists. In December 2016, a years-long effort by the House Judiciary Committee on copyright reform culminated in a proposal by Committee Chair Bob Goodlatte and Ranking Member John Conyers. The Coalition issued a response in support of key features of the proposal, specifically greater autonomy for the Copyright Office, modernization of the Office’s IT infrastructure, and the creation of a copyright small claims tribunal. The recent visit sought to provide Congressional staff with a unified voice on behalf of visual artists on these issues.

Guild Advocacy Liaison Rebecca Blake joined staff and legal counsel from American Photographic Artists (APA), Professional Photographers of America (PPA), American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), Graphic Artists Guild (GAG), and Digital Media Licensing Association (DMLA). The Coalition’s response to the policy proposal on copyright reform can be read here.