Jan 21 2010 05:28 pm
Posted by fifi under Uncategorized
stop theft of photographs
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/copyrightreform/
Which: We call on the Government to abandon plans, announced on 29
October 2009, to allow free and unhindered reproduction of photographs
without payment or credit on non-commercial websites.
This is completely at odds with the Government’s stance on file
sharing of other forms of intellectual property (films and music) and
raises the prospect of crippling thousands of small businesses while
protecting large corporate interests.
The proposal uses phrases like “It must be seen to benefit all
parties, not some at the expense of others” and yet the Government’s
proposal does exactly that. It takes the work of photographers who
have invested time and money in creating work, and gives it to people
who have no relationship with that work, for free. Photographic
businesses are already under severe strain and the proliferation of
digital cameras gives the impression that creating professional
quality imagery is easy. This will further devalue the work of
professional photographers and destroy the photographic industry.