While giving billions in subsidies to oil companies, Congress thinks artists should pay the bill for effective, basic, Constitutionally-mandated copyright protections.

The United States Copyright Office announced a 57% increase in the standard online registration fee, from $35 to $55, effective May 1, 2014. See the entire schedule in the Federal Register (pdf)

"While a number of fees, including the fee for standard registrations, have increased to permit the Office to more fully recoup its expenses, some fees have decreased and others remain the same. The Office has also instituted a separate, lower fee for single-author, single-work registration claims." USCO NewsNet Issue 535, March 24, 2014 (emphasis ours)

Why pay the writer?

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The Writers’ Union of Canada is the national organization of professional writers of books. They advocate on "behalf of all writers for a stronger literary culture – one that treats artists fairly and with respect, and makes it possible for our nation’s stories to continue to be told."

 Learn about and support the Writers' Union of Canada.

Follow them on Twitter, connect on Facebook.

Artists' Bill of Rights is pleased to announce an open, international call for the Professional Women Photographers' Spring 2014 Internation Women's Call for Entry.

Andrea Meislin, Owner and Director of the Andrea Meislin Gallery, one of New York's leading photography galleries, will award $5,000 in cash, an article in IMPRINTS Magazine, a one-year online exhibition, and valuable prizes from Datacolor, global leader in color calibration technology. Your help and support is encouraged.

PROFESSIONAL WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS HAS BEEN SUPPORTING AND INSPIRING WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS SINCE 1975

"Throughout the year, PWP sponsors several calls for entry that help fulfill the organization's mission of advancing women in photography. There are member-only calls, as well as international calls that are also open to the general public.

"International Open Calls for Entry are one of PWP's primary fund-raising tools, allowing us to raise money needed to support our educational, networking, and community outreach programs."

Photographers! Your help is needed to participate in the IPTC / CEPIC survey to discover what metadata you embed and what should be shared with your video files. Please participate!

Release: Photo and video businesses are getting closer, many photo suppliers are extending their business to video. The companies which have started with photos are interested in using the same metadata fields with video as they do with photos.