Among Pressing Campaign Issues, Don’t Forget About Copyright; Variety, 10/7/16

Ruth Vitale, Variety; Among Pressing Campaign Issues, Don’t Forget About Copyright:

"Last week, CreativeFuture and Copyright Alliance partnered to send an Open Letter to Political Candidates reminding them that copyright drives creativity and innovation.

Over 35,000 signatures from individuals in film, television, music, book publishing, and photography signed the letter. Why is this important? Because it shows that we all understand the need to keep our creative industries healthy, but I don’t believe we say this enough to our political leaders...

The same candidates that come to the creative community also visit the tech communities. As we know, there are strong voices in the tech communities whose view of copyright is the polar opposite of ours – not everyone, but a lot of them. And you can bet your lunch money that when people in the tech community go to campaign events, they take every opportunity to talk about their issues, often, to our detriment. Sure, they talk about other issues, but they make damn certain that candidates come away with a clear understanding of their positions on copyright.

We need to start asking our politicians the important questions that pertain to our livelihoods. Whether you host fundraisers for our leaders or simply attend and donate – we must ask our leaders in Washington, “What do you intend to do to protect my rights as a creative?”"