On 10.5.2010, the U.S. Commerce Department’s Internet Policy Task Force issued a notice of inquiry, looking for input from people with a vested interest in copyright law, internet economy, etc.

Are you a writer?  Aspire to be one?  A photographer?  An artist?  Guess what… you have a vested interest in protecting copyright.  Now I do think copyright laws need to be updated.  But I also think copyight needs to be protected.

There are some who think copyright needs to be done away with-and before you think whatever-there’s a legit, formed party in Europe that advocates to make piracy legal.  All it will take for more of that bullshit to happen is for people like us to say or do nothing.

The run down from the task force was here and they are asking those vested individuals to send a letter to copyright-noi-2010@ntia.doc.gov.

We make valuable contributions to society… we work.  We provide something.  We are entitled to earn a living through this, and we are entitled to have those works protected.  Don’t let those who would freely give and take and steal be the only speaking up-and you can bet they are speaking up, people.

Want to see our rights to protect our work disappear?  Do nothing.  That’s all it takes.  Want to protect your copyright and make sure we continue to have laws in place to protect that copyright?

Then you need to speak up.

Not speaking up means you run the risk of losing that protection.  We lose that protection?  We could become like Spain, where sales of local musicians… artists like us, have dropped more than 65% in the past five years, per the article in the BBC.  Spain has no laws to protect the download of illegal music.  How can we do our job if our government won’t protect us?  Speak out.  Make sure they know we need that protection.