MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
June 28 – July 5, 2007 Edition
Authors Registry
To Pay U.S. Authors
Dutch Lending Royalties
6/26/07–The Authors Registry, the not-for-profit organization founded by the Authors Guild and others, has received $537,000 for distribution to U.S. authors from LIRA, an authors’ rights organization in the Netherlands. The payment is for Public Lending Right, a right recognized in 19 countries worldwide, including much of Europe, although it does not exist in the US. It represents the right of authors to be paid for the free lending of their works by libraries. In this case, payment is for English language (untranslated) works by US authors loaned by libraries in the Netherlands.
Payment information is author-specific; no title information has been made available. The current payment covers the years 1997-2001. (Records of loans of English language books began in the Netherlands in 1997.) The Registry expects to receive subsequent payments from LIRA representing the period up to the present, and payments thereafter on a regular basis.
Since its founding in 1995, the Authors Registry has distributed more than $4.5 million to U.S. authors. Payment comes primarily from foreign rights organizations, most notably the Authors’ Licensing & Collecting Society in London. For more information on the Authors Registry, please visit its website at www.authorsregistry.org
For more general information on Public Lending Right worldwide, consult www.plrinternational.com
Other News on Dead Celebrities Bill
In other recent news from the Authors Guild website, the group, together with the Association of American Publishers, has decried a bill on the floor of the New York State Legislature that may enable heirs to block the use of photos, names, signatures and portraits of deceased public figures.
The New York State Assembly and Senate adjourned their regular sessions June 21 without taking action on the so-called “Dead Celebrities” bill. This legislation, the Guild says the measure poses a significant threat to First Amendment rights. The Guild expects the Assembly version to come to a vote soon, with good prospects of passing. The Senate version, however, is likely to take longer to come to the floor.
The Authors Guild is the nation’s largest and oldest society of published authors and the leading writers’ advocate for fair compensation, effective copyright protection, and free expression.
