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PLUS: new copyright management

Get used to seeing this logo.PLUS logo
PLUS (Picture Licensing Universal System) is dedicated to making the tracking and licensing of copyrighted images easier. It is developing international standards of categorizing types of images and attempting to co-ordinate laws across nations. I expect this will go some ways to defeating that contentious and perpetually undead US bill that would legalize the unlimited reproduction of “untraceable” material, and to levelling the field for photographers, who do not automatically own rights to their commissioned work (in Canada, anyway). Among organizations that have signed on to PLUS are CAPIC, GAG, AIGA, IPA,AOI, and USDIG: pretty much every illustrators’ association. Worth getting informed about.

  • http://jedalexander.blogspot.com/ Jed Alexander

    I don’t know enough about this to make any kind of real judgement, though I’m curious how it might impact fair use. Copyright is tricky stuff, and there’s a fine line between protecting artists and making access to art rediculously proprietary. But like I said, I have no idea what impact this might have one way or another.

    Online communication in general and the distribution of images and other proprietary media has been a very contentious issue of late, particularly with the advent of DRM. My only concern, is that the non-commercial use of otherwise propietary material isn’t effected, for instance: sites like this, that routinely post images owned by other people. I’d like that right to be preserved.

  • http://jedalexander.blogspot.com Jed Alexander

    I don’t know enough about this to make any kind of real judgement, though I’m curious how it might impact fair use. Copyright is tricky stuff, and there’s a fine line between protecting artists and making access to art rediculously proprietary. But like I said, I have no idea what impact this might have one way or another.

    Online communication in general and the distribution of images and other proprietary media has been a very contentious issue of late, particularly with the advent of DRM. My only concern, is that the non-commercial use of otherwise propietary material isn’t effected, for instance: sites like this, that routinely post images owned by other people. I’d like that right to be preserved.

  • http://www.luclatulippe.com/ Luc

    Thanks for the link Jaleen. It bears more investiation. If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was the bigger corporations’ version of Creative Commons?

  • http://www.luclatulippe.com Luc

    Thanks for the link Jaleen. It bears more investiation. If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was the bigger corporations’ version of Creative Commons?

  • http://www.groveartworks.com/ jaleen

    Believe me, I’m as skeptical as the next person about stuff like this – but lotsa people are behind it, which means it will probably impact everybody one way or another. In a time when images are inundating us sometimes it seems ludicrous to think we can actually control copyright. And as a scholar I have to admit the idea of not having to worry about rights on images I want to write an article about is pretty attractive. But as a creator, I certainly don’t want some jerk taking my ideas or art and making an obscene profit with it, or using it somewhere objectionable. I’m on the fence… I think there’s a chance the Users of the World will decide simply by sheer force of numbers. If most people pay up, then that’ll be the norm. If everyone “borrows”, then that’ll be the way it is. Certainly Plus’s tracking system will encourage the former. But I think Creative Commons is here to stay too.

  • http://www.groveartworks.com jaleen

    Believe me, I’m as skeptical as the next person about stuff like this – but lotsa people are behind it, which means it will probably impact everybody one way or another. In a time when images are inundating us sometimes it seems ludicrous to think we can actually control copyright. And as a scholar I have to admit the idea of not having to worry about rights on images I want to write an article about is pretty attractive. But as a creator, I certainly don’t want some jerk taking my ideas or art and making an obscene profit with it, or using it somewhere objectionable. I’m on the fence… I think there’s a chance the Users of the World will decide simply by sheer force of numbers. If most people pay up, then that’ll be the norm. If everyone “borrows”, then that’ll be the way it is. Certainly Plus’s tracking system will encourage the former. But I think Creative Commons is here to stay too.