Monday, July 29, 2019

DEADLINE 7.29 -- PLEASE COMMENT ON LINK TO FIGHT IP THEFT

PLEASE READ AND LEAVE A COMMENT TODAY VIA LINK BELOW.
Department of Commerce is seeking comments regarding IP Theft!!!

ACTION:
Notice; request for comments.
SUMMARY:
The Department of Commerce is seeking comments from intellectual property rights holders, online third-party marketplaces and other third-party intermediaries, and other private-sector stakeholders on the state of counterfeit and pirated goods trafficking through online third-party marketplaces and recommendations for curbing the trafficking in such counterfeit and pirated goods. All responses to this notice will be shared with interagency teams, and specifically the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), for use in preparing a report for the President as directed by the April 3, 2019 Presidential Memorandum on “Combating Trafficking in Counterfeit and Pirated Goods” (Presidential Memorandum).
DATES:
Comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, July 29, 2019.

Here is the comment I sent via link above:

Thank you for asking for comments. Online art theft steals from independent artists and creators. We need stronger laws suitable for the internet age to protect these entrepreneurs from unauthorized commercial use by others of the art and images they post online.

Social media thrives on image sharing. Much of this is work of photographers and indie artists. Their artWORK deserves credit and compensation. So many third parties are making money off the hard work of original content creators.. who deserve more than “likes” and shares.

Thieves and pirates rip-off intellectual property from online images artists post. Counterfeit goods under cut the creators prices with cheap knock-offs. The pirates make use of consumer ignorance, bred from years of “point and click” shopping that rarely directed consumers back to the source for all the content they “like.”

Too many artists have seen their images stolen and reproduced on a range of products. The pirates hide from take down notices and appear again as a new company name selling the same stolen goods. These rounds of “whack a mole” are exhausting for the copyright holders. The only ones that profit are the middle men. Creators lose out on their livelihood. Consumers are stuck with shoddy goods that sully the creators valuable online reputation.

Please listen to the indie artists who are being crushed by internet art theft. They need strong laws with sharp teeth. Consumers need robust protection from online thieves and counterfeiters. 

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