Nyeng!

I used to be pretty paranoid about idea theft. It didn’t help that there are plenty of industry horror stories that feed and justify that fear, or that I know people who have had their ideas stolen.  It’s one of the main reasons I try not to reveal any of the more unique aspects of my characters.  I like to think that those particular ideas are either too “out there” for someone to want to steal, or just flat-out unmarketable, and it’s also quite possible that my ideas simply suck, but it’s better to be safe than sorry…

Now, though, I am ABSOLUTELY paranoid about idea theft! It start a couple weeks back, when I started to hear about “orphan works”, and possible legislation to deal with them. Since then, new bills have been introduced in the House and Senate, and apparently the Senate version has just been approved.  While this doesn’t YET constitute a change to copyright law, it’s definitely got me on edge…

Supporters claim the bills are meant to benefit libraries, archives, and non-profit organizations… The problem is, the bills are so broad that FOR-profit organizations could (and likely will) take advantage of it. Business people have a long history of screwing over artists (or people in general), and this would just be another potential tool for them to use.

Until this mess gets sorted out, I have a feeling watermarks are going to be my new best friend…