Monday, January 6, 2020

Topics of interest -- Why companies fight to keep IP; Float theme of Hope; Real Life adventures of Louisa May Alcott; How to dominate on Amazon

Continuing this series on topics of interest for indie art life. 
Previous post here: http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2019/11/topics-of-interest-article-and-you-tube.html

Here are 4 topics that recently arrived on my radar ...
 Do you know the Copyright protection connection between Congressman Sonny Bono and creative works by Disney and MLK???

1) LA Times 1.4.20
"How corporations keep classic works for their own profits" by Michael Hiltzik
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-01-04/rhapsody-in-blue-copyright-law

This article appeared in print with the headline "A long wait for artistic works' liberation."

Why do companies fight to keep IP??
Big companies hang on to copyright because IP has value! Why is copyright protection only respected when backed by Disney level enforcement, and not by fans who love the artists they follow???

 This article argues for allowing greater access sooner to protected works because quote: "Copyrights prevent consumers or creators from accessing, building on, or even repurposing artistic works without the permission of the copyright holders or the payment of a fee that can be steep. That’s arguably an obstacle to cultural development, and raises the question of why the heirs should exercise so much power and collect such payouts so many decades after the creators are gone." 

My feeling is when so much profit, commerce, even corporate empires are built on IP that started with artists, why shouldn't the artist and their heirs benefit. Many artists can create because they have family or some other support network. Too often valuable creative rights get signed away. The few times creators are able to retain them, long-term copyright protections could support philanthropy as well as the creator's family. 

 The 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, extended protection for another 20 years beyond the previous rule. This law was championed by songwriter Sonny Bono, who knew the value of IP and the lasting impact on those rights. Yes, Sonny and Cher were more than a one-hit wonder, but Bono knew the right song can generate millions for the creators and wanted to protect creative rights for all artists. More on the history and impact of the Extension Act here:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2013/10/25/15-years-ago-congress-kept-mickey-mouse-out-of-the-public-domain-will-they-do-it-again/


2) LA Times 1.1.20
"Rose Parade 2020: Sikhs roll out a float to sew seeds of hope, generosity and harmony" by Erin B. Logan
The theme of the 2020 Rose Parade was Hope. Coverage of this float covers that theme and more.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-01-01/rose-parade-2020-sikhs-float?
Sikh American Float Foundation Jan 2020 
pic by Jason Armond Los Angeles Times

Excerpt: "Local Sikhs see the parade as an educational opportunity. Having a float that showcases diversity and works with non-Sikhs, like Lhotka, is key to spreading a message of kindness and compassion, Singh said.
“At the end of the day, we all believe in freedom, equality, compassion and service,” she said. “Those are the things necessary to blur the lines of division and bring us together.”
“We represent not just the Sikh community but every minority who contributes to the great nation and deserves to be respected and celebrated,” she added."

3) LA Times 12.31.19
"Little Women is great, but where is the Louisa May Alcott biopic?" by Mary Macnamara
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2019-12-31/louisa-may-alcott?
AP File photo
Fun facts about Little Women author. 
Excerpt: ..... “I run,” Alcott says at one point. “That is an actual fact of my life.”
It is an actual fact of her life. Although there is no account of Alcott ever meeting Dickinson, who was a contemporary, Alcott was definitely the first notable American woman who was also a runner. And apparently, even when burdened by skirts, petticoats, hairpins and highly non-dynamic footwear, she was pretty fast.
Alcott also was an outspoken feminist, an abolitionist turned civil rights activist, a vegetarian, a teetotaler and an ardent supporter of Amelia Bloomer’s work to create nonrestrictive female fashion (the Bloomer suit was the closest thing those poor women had to leggings), as was her mother, Abigail. Her father, Bronson, was a Transcendentalist educator and lecturer who could not make or hold onto money. Alcott worked to support her family most of her life, as a writer but also as a teacher, a seamstress, a governess, a companion and, during one particularly difficult time, a house servant.
In 1863, she briefly served as a nurse in a Union hospital, where she contracted typhoid. She almost died but still managed to produce “Hospital Sketches,” one of the first accounts of Civil War hospitals and an early model for experiential journalism."

4) My Wife Quit Her Job is a website and blog about finding success as an indie seller online.
More about the site and its authors here:



On 1.4.20, this post from the My Wife Quit Her Job blog was shared on a Facebook group I belong to that is dedicated to fighting art theft online.
"Why Chinese sellers are dominating on Amazon and how to beat them" by Steve Chou

This long blog post breaks down the many advantages Chinese sellers have on the platform, including the special ePacket shipping prices...
Excerpt...
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"The Chinese also get heavily discounted shipping.The only reason dropshipping from AliExpress works today is because shipping from China to the US is cheaper than shipping within the US thanks to a shipping method called ePacket. As a result, the Chinese have inherent cost advantages that US sellers don’t have.
The Chinese also have access to more resources. Every year, I run an ecommerce event called The Sellers Summit where I bring together sellers from all over the world to share ideas and strategies. But the problem is that I only hold it once per year.
Meanwhile, the Chinese have events and seminars every week. There are large ecommerce parks built exclusively for sellers that are backed by the government."
the post also gives infographics and ways to compete... such as this section here...

"....And this is important because you can not establish a strong brand on Amazon!
When people shop on Amazon, they think that Amazon is the brand owner and not you. As a result, if you are only selling your items on Amazon, you will forever be a victim to price wars and Chinese competition knocking off your products.

How Do You Establish A Brand?

Establishing your brand is a long term strategy which involves consistent communication with your customers. It’s a process by which you must bring visitors back to your website over and over again until your company is ingrained in their minds.
And this can not be done with Amazon.
Here are the primary ways I have increased mindshare for Bumblebee Linens over the years
Bottom line, establishing a recognizable brand involves repeated exposure to your company until you become a household name in your niche. And you can’t do this unless you own your own web property."
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Want to read more Topics of interest??
Previous post here: 
http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2019/11/topics-of-interest-article-and-you-tube.html

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