Writer, artist or photographer? MUST Read.: SETTLEMENT OF CLASS PROCEEDING ROBERTSON V. THOMSON AND OTHERS

See attached PDF File for full text
File name:
NoticeofApproval.pdf

or via

http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=cache:dH3wmbLscCsJ:www.carswell.com/NR/rdonlyres/67A9059D-F10F-4898-8A9A-1C13F498962C/0/NoticeofApproval.pdf+notice+of+approval+settlement+robertson+v.+thomson&hl=en&gl=ca&sig=AFQjCNEP2pHzH-ynBy4rTN31OfIA5o7Fng


NOTICE OF APPROVAL OF THE SETTLEMENT OF CLASS PROCEEDING
ROBERTSON V. THOMSON AND OTHERS

If you are a writer, artist or photographer, wherever you live, please read this notice
carefully as it may affect your rights.

This is a court-approved notice to people who may be members of the Class in the above
class proceeding. It describes the class proceeding, the class of people affected, and the
court-approved settlement of this class proceeding.

In 1996, Heather Robertson (the "Plaintiff"), a freelance writer, commenced an action
against The Thomson Corporation (now, Thomson Reuters Corporation), Thomson
Canada Limited (now, Thomson Reuters Canada Limited), Thomson Affiliates and
Information Access Company (now, The Gale Group, Inc.). In 2001, the action was
amended to include Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. (now CTVglobemedia Publishing,
Inc.) as a defendant (collectively, the "Defendants"). In the action, the Plaintiff alleges
that the Defendants infringed the rights of creators or assignees of original literary or
artistic works published in print media in Canada ("Works") by disseminating or
authorizing the dissemination of copies of the Works through electronic databases,
contrary to the Canadian Copyright Act. The Plaintiff sought compensatory, punitive and
exemplary damages, as well as injunctive relief, on behalf of writers, artists and
photographers who created the Works ("Creators"), their estates and assigns. The
Defendants denied the Plaintiffs claims.


In 1999, the Superior Court of Justice certified this action as a class proceeding, on behalf
of the creators of original literary and artistic Works, their estates or assigns, where they
live.

The Class includes the following people:

A. All persons who were the authors or creators of original literary works or original
artistic works (collectively "Works") which were published in Canada in any newspaper,
magazine, periodical, book, newsletter, journal or other paper-based form whatsoever
(collectively "Print Media") which Print Media have been reproduced, distributed and/or
communicated to the public by telecommunication by the Defendants through any
computer database, CD-ROM, diskette, on-line service, or other electronic system or
device (collectively "Electronic Media"), on or after 24 April 1979 except:

(a) persons who by written document assigned all of the copyright in their Works to
the Defendants or their predecessors in interest in the subject Print Media; or

(b) persons who by written document granted to the Defendants or their predecessors
in interest in the subject Print Media a license to publish or use their Works in Electronic

Media; or

(c) persons who were unionized employees of the Defendants or their predecessors in
interest in the subject Print Media are excluded regarding any Works created for the
subject Print Media at times when their unions' collective agreements governed the use
of their Works in Electronic Media.




---

GEORGE LESSARD
Information, Communications and Media Specialist
451 Norseman Dr.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2J1, Canada

Yellowknife Land Line # (867) 873-2662
Yellowknife Cell # (867) 445-9193
E-mail: mediamentor@gmail.com

".... In the last 3 yrs ... . I've seen more Northerners than most people have in a lifetime ..."
Online:
http://mediamentor.ca
http://lessardcard.notlong.com
SKYPE: themediamentor
http://twitter.com/mediamentor

Home Pages: http://mediamentor.ca
My panoramic images
http://panoramas-by-george.notlong.com
My YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mediamentor
Online Activities: http://www.web.ca/~media/index.html
Photos: http://photosbygeorge.notlong.com
Photo Illustrations: http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157603627797568/
Etcetera:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/459582/

Bookmarks: http://del.icio.us/themediamentor

Member:
Canadian Association of Journalists http://www.caj.ca
Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des artistes canadiennes http://www.carfac.ca/
Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective http://www.carcc.ca/

JOBS: Journalism Trainers (x3) (Print, Radio and TV) Location: Liberia

http://www.jeffgaulin.com/jobs/JobDetails.asp?id=6776

http://www.jhr.ca/en/getinvolved_international.php

Journalism Trainers (x3) REF#: JG6776
jhr (Journalists for Human Rights)
Location: Liberia, 0
Posted: September 22, 2009
Deadline: October 6, 2009
Salary:

Description
jhr is seeking to hire three journalism trainers and one workshop
facilitator to work with jhr in Liberia for eight months. Of the three
trainers we are looking for:

* 1 Newspaper Trainer
* 1 Television (and/or Multimedia) Trainer
* 1 Rural Radio Trainer

Trainers� work will vary, but will be focused on working with
jhr�s Liberian media partners to build the capacity of the Liberian
media to report on human rights issues. This includes daily on-the-job
training, conducting informal seminars and providing other training to
local journalists. They will also work with jhr�s Workshop
Facilitator to run workshops for local editors/owners, journalism students
and community members. jhr�s Country Coordinator in Liberia will
manage their work.

Qualifications
Desirable Applicants will have:

* A journalism degree or relevant journalism experience
* Strong working journalism experience of no less than 2 years
* Strong knowledge of human rights, or a demonstrated interest in
human rights
* International experience within a developing nation(s) preferred, or
strong, demonstrable interest
* Ability and willingness to live and work in a cross-cultural
environment
* Excellent interpersonal skills
* Excellent written and communication skills
* Fluency in English

Remuneration: A monthly living stipend, plus flight and visa.

Application Deadline: October 6, 2009

Start Date: Early February, 2010

To apply, please submit a completed application form
(downloadable here)
http://www.jhr.ca/en/getinvolved/downloads/jhr_international_Job%20Application_0909.doc
and submit with your cover letter (stating you found this job on Jeff
Gaulin's Journalism Job Board) and CV to:

Please quote job title in the subject line.

jhr thanks all those who apply, however due to large application numbers
only those short listed for an interview will be contacted.

Sarah Lee
jhr (Journalists for Human Rights)
147 Spadina Ave. Suite 206
Toronto , ON
M5V 2L7 , Canada
Tel: no calls
Fax: (416) 413 1832

E-mail: sarah@jhr.ca.
Web address: http://www.jhr.ca/en/getinvolved_international.php

Stanford Photo Scientists are Teaching the Camera New Tricks

Stanford scientists have created an open-source camera that could revolutionize digital photography by giving programmers that chance to design software to teach the device new tricks.

Open-source "Frankencamera" could revolutionize digital photography

Stanford Report, August 31, 2009
Open-source camera could revolutionize digital photography

Stanford scientists' open-source camera could change photography by giving
programmers anywhere the power to change camera features and create new
possibilities.

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2009/august31/levoy-opensource-camera-090109.html

[excerpt]

Stanford photo scientists are out to reinvent digital photography with the
introduction of an open-source digital camera, which will give programmers
around the world the chance to create software that will teach cameras new
tricks.

If the technology catches on, camera performance will be no longer be
limited by the software that comes pre-installed by the manufacturer.
Virtually all the features of the Stanford camera – focus, exposure,
shutter speed, flash, etc. – are at the command of software that can be
created by inspired programmers anywhere. "The premise of the project is
to build a camera that is open source," said computer science professor
Marc Levoy.

Computer science graduate student Andrew Adams, who helped design the
prototype of the Stanford camera (dubbed Frankencamera,)
http://graphics.stanford.edu/projects/camera-2.0/
imagines a future where consumers download applications to their
open-platform cameras the way Apple apps are downloaded to iPhones today.
When the camera's operating software is made available publicly, perhaps a
year from now, users will be able to continuously improve it, along the
open-source model of the Linux operating system for computers or the
Mozilla Firefox web browser.

Fun ways to transform your face online

Fun ways to transform your face online

If you have a picture of yourself, why not put it to good use? With the
help of some online resources, you can do all kinds of neat things to it.
You can even put it on greeting cards, avatars for your Twitter profile,
and more.

If you're planning to put your picture to use, do it with these sites.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10355620-2.html?tag=mncol;title

Loan deal saves Annie Leibovitz images

 * Loan deal saves Leibovitz images *

US photographer Annie Leibovitz is given more time to pay off a loan which threatened the copyright to her images.

Ms Leibovitz's most famous images include a photograph of John Lennon taken hours before he was assassinated, and a nude portrait of the pregnant actress Demi Moore for the cover of Vanity Fair magazine.

But the millions she has made from her work have been accompanied by a history of unpaid bills and taxes.

Full story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/8251799.stm

Karl Johnston, Ft Smith, NWT won a prize in the Royal Observatory Greenwich’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2009

Karl Johnston, Ft Smith, NWT
won a prize in the Royal Observatory Greenwich's Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2009

Head on over to the astrophoto group to see more.

Category winners – Earth and Space

This hugely varied category was for photos that included landscape or people. Pictures also had to show an astronomical subject such as the stars, the Moon, or aurora. Tell us what you think about the winners in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year group on Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/astrophoto/

• Earth and Space – highly-commended

• http://www.flickr.com/people/karljohnston/
  

  Bow of Orion by Karl Johnston (Canada)  

  

  A few words from the photographer: 'I always loved viewing the majestic aurora borealis, and I would always wonder why it would only be me out there watching them on the cold nights growing up in Fort Smith, NWT, Canada. Every night I would go for miles and miles to escape the light pollution, into the sub-arctic wilderness. Trudging through three-and-a-half-foot snow and -40°C weather or below to eventually stop, look up, and attempt to orchestrate the dance of the aurora borealis through my camera.'

  What's in the picture: The auroras or Northern and Southern Lights are caused by the interaction between the Earth's atmosphere and a stream of particles from the Sun known as the Solar Wind. The Earth's magnetic field funnels these particles down over the planet's poles, giving rise to 'glowing curtains' of coloured light which are best seen in the night sky.

  Equipment: Canon 50D DSLR camera; Tokina - 11–16-mm lens; ISO 800; 20-second exposure

  What competition judge Dan Holdsworth thought: 'Through careful composition which creates a rhythm and symmetry between the veils of movement in the aurora's light and the silhouetted shapes of the trees, the photograph 'Bow of Orion' beautifully expresses something of the strangely musical and trance-like quality within the nature of the auroral experience.'

 

Dousing the blaze

Dousing the blaze, originally uploaded by Nigel Fearon.

Huge fire at the Yellowknife dump that burned for over 12 hours. Put out by helicopters, a waterbomber, and every fire truck in Yellowknife.
Best photo of the firefighting that I've seen so far ! ! ! !

"Through young eyes" Frozen Eyes in Fort Liard; The full set of selected participant pictures & event documentation

"Through young eyes" 
Frozen Eyes in Fort Liard

The full set of participant pictures & event documentation as a set.... click on individual images to see full photo...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157622002663578/
as a slide show....click on individual images to see more information / individual photos...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157622002663578/show/

Includes all the Frozen Eyes images on exhibition in Fort Liard at the Cultural Room in the Hamlet building.



---

GEORGE LESSARD
Information, Communications and Media Specialist
451 Norseman Dr.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2J1, Canada

Yellowknife Land Line # (867) 873-2662
Yellowknife Cell # (867) 445-9193

"....... In the last 3 yrs ... . I've seen more Northerners than most people have in a lifetime ..."

Online:
http://mediamentor.ca
http://lessardcard.notlong.com
SKYPE: themediamentor
 

"Focusing on Liard" B&W scan News Northwest of Monday August 31 2009

http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/3885638823/

News Northwest nnsl.com Monday August 31 2009
"Focusing on Liard" Images taken in Fort Liard NWT, Canada during a Young Photographers Workshop presented by the Frozen Eyes Photographic Society www.frozeneyes.com/ thanks to the sponsorship of the Hamlet of Fort Liard, NWT www.fortliard.com/ - BHP-Billiton www.bhpbilliton.com and the NWT Arts Council pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/artscouncil/

Frozen Eyes Photographic Society in Fort Liard, NWT

29990831_NNW_Focusing_on_Liard-03-JPG

         

		That's been added to your Frozen Eyes in Fort Liard set.

---

GEORGE LESSARD
Information, Communications and Media Specialist
451 Norseman Dr.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2J1, Canada

Yellowknife Land Line # (867) 873-2662
Yellowknife Cell # (867) 445-9193

"....... in the last 3 yrs ... . I've seen more Northerners than most people have in a lifetime ..."
Online:
http://mediamentor.ca
http://lessardcard.notlong.com
SKYPE: themediamentor

 

Humanizing Development, Global Photography Campaign

Humanizing Development
Global Photography Campaign

How do you see development? How can you portrait the human face of the development processes? How do you show that development initiatives and programmes improve the lives of people? This Global Photography Campaign aims to show examples of people winning the battle against poverty, social exclusion and marginalization. It is intended to raise awareness of the successes in the development process. The campaign is intended to counterbalance the frequently shown images of desolation and despair. A photo gallery will to be permanently located at IPC-IG office and open for public visitation. A series of photo exhibitions will also be organized in several cities around the world. Everyone can and is strongly encouraged to participate in this global effort and contribute with a photograph. Join us now in showing development through a different lens! Let's promote and share successful development initiatives!

Who can participate?

Everyone can contribute with a photograph: professional and non-professional photographers, students, civil society activists, government officials, UN staff members and so forth.

How can I participate?
http://www.ipc-undp.org/photo/index.htm

How will the selection take place?

The Selection Committee will choose the 50 favourite photographs that best depict the campaign themes to compose our photo gallery. Results will be released on IPC-IG website on 30 October 2009.

The Committee will be composed of one representative from IPC-IG; one UNV representative from headquarters in Bonn; a professional photographer with international reputation; a representative from a partner institution based in Africa, one in Asia and the Pacific, one in the Arab States and another in Europe and the CIS

What happens if my picture is selected?

If your photo is chosen you will be contacted no later than 30 October 2009 by the IPC-IG. As a reward, your contribution to this campaign and your effort in supporting its goals will be acknowledged by a wide dissemination of your work through a range of UN communications tools:

The selected photographs and the respective contributors' names will be highlighted in various UN communications channels, such as IPC-IG and UN media campaigns, releases, websites and so forth.

The selected photograph will be part of UNDP and IPC-IG photo databases and will be shared with the United Nations Department of Public Information in New York, promoting global visibility to contributors, their work and participation in the global campaign.

Contributors will receive a certificate jointly issued by the UNDP International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth and the campaign partners.

Contributors will have their names displayed at the IPC-IG photo gallery on "Humanizing Development", which will be launched at a public event on November 2009.

Photo exhibitions are to be organised in order to highlight the photographs and the contributors and to promote the campaign goals. Exhibitions are planned to be held in New York, Brasilia, São Paulo, and other cities in the South.

 

Campaign Coordinator
Mr. Francisco Filho
Communications, Outreach and
Advocacy Unit, IPC-IG
francisco.filho@undp.org
Phone: (+ 55 61) 2105 5036

Ms. Giovana Lerda
Communications Assistant
giovana.lerda@ipc-undp.org
Phone: (+55 61) 2105 5017

Karim Ezzeldin
Communication Associate
UNDP Egypt Country Office
1191 Corniche ElNil, World Trade Centre
Boulac, Cairo 11599, Egypt
Office: (202) 2578 4840-6
Fax:     (202) 2578 4847
Direct:  (202) 2580 9007
http://www.undp.org.eg

Sambaa Deh Falls rock

DSC_8617, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

Sambaa Deh rock Falls, Trout River, NWT
Aug 28 2009
© 2009 George Lessard DSC_8617

Focusing on Fort Liard

http://www.nnsl.com/arts/stories/aug29_09pho-arts.html
---

Focusing on Fort Liard

Daron Letts
Northern News Services
Published Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009

ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD - Youth in Fort Liard captured hundreds of digital photographs of their community earlier this month.

Michael Needlay flashes the peace sign in this image shot by Blair Kotchea during the Frozen Eyes Photographic Society's youth digital camera workshop in Fort Liard. - photo courtesy of Blair Kotchea

The young artists participated in a Frozen Eyes Photographic Society workshop series from Aug. 3 to Aug, 9.

"It was probably the most successful program that I had run in terms of engaging the older kids because they're a difficult group to interest in much," said recreation co-ordinator, Roslyn Firth. "But, they participated in numbers greater than I'd ever imagined and produced some really beautiful photographs."

Society members David Pritchard and George Lessard of Yellowknife led the workshops. The pair brought 12 cameras and other specialized equipment to share with the youth. Pritchard opened the workshop with an instructional introduction to the cameras and the art of photography. [. ..]

The workshop series was sponsored by the NWT Arts Council. The society may return to the community to lead another workshop series soon.

The society formed in 2008 with the goal of providing hands-on photographic experience for young people throughout the NWT. Society members have provided similar workshops in several communities around the territory.

"I would like them to come back in the fall," Firth said.

An exhibit of the young photographers' work goes on display at 7 p.m., Sept. 3, in the cultural room at the Hamlet and band offices. The photographers will attend the event.

First Prime Minister to visit any part of Canada north of the Arctic Circle, July 21, 1961

DSC_8312, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

This sculpture, symbolic of the cooperation of the three races in this community and in the North, was erected by the Government of the Northwest Territories in honour of the official opening of Inuvik. The opening ceremony was performed by the Right Honourable John George Diefenbaker, P.C., M.P. who was the first Prime Minister to visit any part of Canada north of the Arctic Circle, July 21, 1961

Bahamas Paradise Island Mending Kit

Bahamas Paradise Island Mending Kit, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

Paradise Island Mending Kit....The only souvenir I have from my honeymoon, Nassau, the Bahamas

©2009 George Lessard
1991Bahamas_Paradise_Island_Mending_Kit-1+2

SIVUNIRMUT ILINNIARNIQ - Elders' Advisory Committee Update 2002-fall-V4-Inuk.qxd

SIVUNIRMUT ILINNIARNIQ - Elders' Advisory Committee Update 2002-fall-V4-Inuk.qxd, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

SIVUNIRMUT ILINNIARNIQ - Elders' Advisory Committee Update deigned for my then employer, Education Nunavut, Curriculum & School Services Newsletter, Issue 2, Fall 2002 Inuktitut & English

Spark Box Studio / Accepting Residency Applications / Picton, ON

Announcement / Spark Box Studio / New Art Studio Accepting Residency Applications / Picton, ON

Spark Box Studio, an art studio, print shop and artists' residency that offers unique opportunities to emerging and professional artists, writers, and students, has just opened up in Prince Edward County, Ontario.

About Us:
Spark Box Studio provides space for artists to live, research, investigate and experiment in a focused environment. We aim to encourage discovery and the cultivation of new ideas, provide career-building opportunities and resources for artists at all stages, and promote engagement with the local community through the arts.

Artist Residency Program
Spark Box Studio's Artist Residency Program provides live/work space to accommodate both emerging and professional printmakers, photographers, painters, illustrators and writers, as well as those currently undertaking studies in fine art. Artists-in-residence have access to our professional studio and resource library. The Residency Program affords artists the space, time and resources to support the advancement of their careers and to strengthen their practice. Artists-in-residence stay in a charming Victorian house located by the historic Picton Harbour. 

For more information about Spark Box Studio Residency Program or to learn about other programs we offer, visit www.sparkboxstudio.com.

Spark Box Studio
206 Main St.
Suite 2M
Picton, ON
T. 613.476.0337
E. info@sparkboxstudio.com 
www.sparkboxstudio.com
 

 

"...How many own your name as a domain name? ... Your online presence ..."

"...How many own your name as a domain name? ... Your online presence
should show who you are, your interests and background, and showcase your
best professional work. ..."

The Need to Develop Their Personal Brand

http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2009/08/journalism-students-need-to-develop-their-personal-brand231.html

[excerpt]

As a journalism professor, I have found there is one thing guaranteed to
set off a flurry of frenzied activity in the classroom. It has nothing to
do with exams or story deadlines. Rather, it is prompted by a simple
question to students: How many own your name as a domain name?

This seemingly innocuous question acts as a trigger, sending students
online to see if someone else with the same name has snatched up the web
address. A lesson on online research methods turns into "how to buy a
domain name," or more often, "what do I do if someone else has my domain
name?"

This is no trivial matter. Having a website that reflects your
professional identity is your digital calling card. Your online presence
should show who you are, your interests and background, and showcase your
best professional work. Or to put it another way, your personal brand as a
journalist.

In the journalism of today, the personal brand is becoming increasingly
central to the prospects of a young person starting out on a life of
reporting. So it is important for students at journalism school, and those
starting in the fall, to develop the professional brand that will set them
apart come graduation.

Some reporters may bristle at the idea of thinking of themselves as a
brand, considering it the equivalent of selling out. This overlooks the
fact that a journalist's identity has always been a part of the job,
otherwise why have bylines?

Research on Flickr / Biblio on Flickr Research

A. Cox from U. Sheffield wrote a couple of papers
(http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/staff/cox.html);
Cox, A. (2008) "Flickr: A case study of Web2.0" Aslib Proceedings 60 (5)
493-516.

Cox, A., Clough, P. & Marlow, J.(2008) "Flickr: a first look at user
behaviour in the context of photography as serious leisure." Information
Research 13 (1)
http://informationr.net/ir/13-1/paper336.html.

Julia Davies wrote also a couple of papers
(http://www.shef.ac.uk/education/staff/academic/davies.html)
Davies, J (2007) `Display; Identity and the Everyday: self-presentation
through digital image sharing.´ In: Discourse, Studies in the Cultural
Politics of Education. 28:4

Davies, J. (2006) `Affinities and beyond!! Developing ways of seeing in
online spaces´. In e-learning- Special Issue: Digital Interfaces. Vol.3
issue 2. Pages 217-234. A

Edgar Gómez – doing a PhD on Flickr at Open University of Catalonia -
Internet Interdisciplinary Institute and visiting research at Oxford
Internet Institute:
http://tesisantitesis.wordpress.com/
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=530370679

Rachel Cobcroft – doing PhD on Flickr at Queensland State Archives /
Creative Commons Australia
http://www.flickr.com/people/felix42/
http://www.facebook.com/rachel.cobcroft

Eric Meyer wrote an article on Flickr:
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1353879

Ingrid Erickson (http://www.ssrc.org/staff/erickson-ingrid/) her
dissertation integrated quite a bit of research on Flickr.

Jean Burgess (Queensland University of Technology, Australia)' work on
vernacular creativity and Flickr. Look at CreativityMachine
http://creativitymachine.net/ for some of her work, including a
significant part of her dissertation project that focused on Flickr.

Mor Naaman studies it. A list of his publications in which you can find a
few about Flickr is avaleble at:
http://infolab.stanford.edu/~mor/research.html

Liza Potts <odu.edu> conducted research on Flickr. Published articles
include:
Potts, L. (2009). "Using Actor Network Theory to Trace and Improve
Multimodal Communication Design." Technical Communication Quarterly, 18
(3).
Potts, L. (2009). "Designing for Disaster: Social Software Use in Times of
Crisis." International Journal of Sociotechnology and Knowledge
Development. 1 (2), 33-46.
Potts, L. (2009). "Peering into Disaster: Social Software Use from the
Indian Ocean Earthquake to the Mumbai Bombings." Proceedings of the
International Professional Communication Conference. Hawaii: IEEE.
Potts, L. (2008). "Designing with Actor Network Theory: A New Method for
Modeling Holistic Experience." Proceedings of the International
Professional Communication Conference. Montreal: IEEE.

Collected by
--
Mayo Fuster Morell
E-mail: lilaroja@gmx.net
Skype: mayoneti

http://www.onlinecreation.info
http://www.openelibrary.info
http://www.openesf.net
http://www.networked-politics.info
http://www.euromovements.info

"Le photographe George Lessard dénonce les pratiques douteuses du gouvernement des TNO en matière de respect du droit d’auteur."

Arts et culture : Qui veut s'approprier les droits des artistes du Nord?

http://aquilon.nt.ca/Article/Qui-veut-s-approprier-les-droits-des-artistes-du-Nord-200908132229/default.aspx#article

Écrit par Batiste W. Foisy 
Paru le 13 août 2009
0 Commentaire(s)

Le photographe George Lessard en pleine action, lors d'un voyage d'échange en Russie, ce printemps. (Photo: Yudin Andrey Nikolaevich)

Le photographe George Lessard dénonce les pratiques douteuses du gouvernement des TNO en matière de respect du droit d'auteur.

Le photographe indépendant George Lessard n'a pas l'intention de s'enregistrer sur le répertoire en ligne des artistes des TNO (www.nwtarts.ca). Il n'est pas contre l'idée de diffuser son talent en ligne – loin de là! – mais il trouve que le prix à payer pour être listé sur ce site Web du gouvernement des TNO est plutôt salé.

« Quand vous voulez devenir membre de ce site-là, explique-t-il, on vous demande des images de votre œuvre et on demande aussi une licence pour l'utilisation de ces images, de la part du gouvernement des Territoires du Nord-Ouest. Une licence qui les autorise à l'utiliser de n'importe quelle façon que ce soit. Je pense que ce n'est pas juste. Ils devraient plutôt demander une licence restreinte à l'utilisation de l'image sur ce site spécifique. »

Si vous souhaitez vous enregistrer sur ce répertoire, vous devrez remplir et signer un formulaire dont l'une des clauses spécifie que le gouvernement retient les droits de reproduction de l'image cédée « pour tout usage dont notamment, mais non limité à, l'illustration, la publicité, le marketing ou la publication sur tout support électronique ou imprimé ». C'est ce passage qui irrite Lessard, qui relève au passage que le formulaire n'est disponible qu'en anglais. Selon lui, le gouvernement retire le pain de la bouche à ceux qu'il prétend défendre.

« Le gouvernement des TNO dit qu'il veut encourager les artistes, mais dans ce cas-ci, il n'y a pas de possibilité pour les artistes de générer un revenu avec ces images-là », dit-il. Selon lui, le GTNO aiderait davantage les créateurs en leur achetant les droits restreints de reproduction des images qu'en leur demandant de les céder intégralement et sans compensation.

Celui qui est membre du Collectif pour les droits d'auteur du Front des artistes canadiens a écrit au ministre de l'industrie du tourisme et de l'investissement, Bob McLeod, afin de lui faire entendre son mécontentement. Le ministre n'a pas tardé à lui répondre pour lui dire que l'intention n'a jamais été d'usurper les droits d'auteurs des artistes du Nord.

Dans sa lettre, le ministre affirme que seules les reproductions à des fins de promotion et de communications internes des photos soumises sur le site nwtarts.com sont envisagées par le gouvernement. « Cette base de données est un programme promotionnel dont l'adhésion repose sur une base volontaire par les artistes, écrit le ministre. Plus de 200 artistes ont souscrit à ce programme pour être exposé sur le site Web et dans des publications afférentes telles que Artist Newsline, une lettre d'information du GTNO destinée à la communauté artistique des TNO. Ce n'est que ce genre de promotion du travail des artistes qui est envisagée et permise par le formulaire de cessation de droits tel que rédigé. »

Mais George Lessard n'en démord pas. « Quand même, n'importe quel ministère du gouvernement peut faire n'importe quoi avec les images qu'on soumet », dit-il.

D'après lui, les artistes des TNO auraient avantage à mieux connaître les ramifications du droit d'auteur. « J'espère que le ministère de l'Industrie aidera un jour les artistes du Nord à mieux connaître leurs droits, dit-il.C'est important. »

 
---

GEORGE LESSARD
Information, Communications and Media Specialist
451 Norseman Dr.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2J1, Canada

Yellowknife Land Line # (867) 873-2662
Yellowknife Cell # (867) 445-9193
SKYPE: themediamentor

Online Business Card:
http://lessardcard.notlong.com

E-mail: mediamentor@gmail.com

Home Pages: http://mediamentor.ca
My panoramic images
http://panoramas-by-george.notlong.com
My YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mediamentor
Online Activities: http://www.web.ca/~media/index.html
Photos: http://photosbygeorge.notlong.com
Photo Illustrations: http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157603627797568/
Etcetera:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/459582/

My Public Bookmarks: http://del.icio.us/themediamentor

Member:
Canadian Association of Journalists http://www.caj.ca
Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des artistes canadiennes http://www.carfac.ca/
Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective http://www.carcc.ca/
Sent from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada

Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for Windows

Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for computers that run
Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with
support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of
useful and powerful tools. An active and growing online community provides
friendly help, tutorials, and plugins.
It started development as an undergraduate college senior design project
mentored by Microsoft, and is currently being maintained by some of the
alumni that originally worked on it. Originally intended as a free
replacement for the Microsoft Paint software that comes with Windows, it
has grown into a powerful yet simple image and photo editor tool. It has
been compared to other digital photo editing software packages such as
Adobe® Photoshop®, Corel® Paint Shop Pro®, Microsoft Photo Editor, and The
GIMP.

http://paint.net/

System Requirements

Minimum System

* Windows XP (SP2 or newer),
or Windows Vista,
or Windows 7,
or Windows Server
(2003 SP1 or newer)
* .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 (free download
from Microsoft)
* 256 MB of RAM (Recommended: 512 MB or more)
* 1024 x 768 screen resolution
* 200+ MB hard drive space
* 64-bit mode requires a 64-bit CPU and a 64-bit edition of Windows

IrfanView FREEWARE graphic viewer for Windows

IrfanView FREEWARE graphic viewer for Windows

http://www.irfanview.com/

rfanView is a very fast, small, compact and innovative FREEWARE (for
non-commercial use) graphic viewer for Windows 9x, ME, NT, 2000, XP, 2003
, 2008, Vista, Windows 7.

It is trying to be simple for beginners and powerful for professionals.

IrfanView is trying to create new and/or interesting features in its own
way, unlike some other graphic viewers, whose whole "creativity" is based
on feature cloning, stealing of ideas and whole dialogs from ACDSee and/or
IrfanView! (for example: XnView has been stealing/cloning features and
whole dialogs from IrfanView, for 10+ years).

IrfanView was the first Windows graphic viewer WORLDWIDE with Multiple
(animated) GIF support.
One of the first graphic viewers WORLDWIDE with Multipage TIF support.
The first graphic viewer WORLDWIDE with Multiple ICO support.

Some IrfanView features:

* Many supported file formats (click here the list of formats)
* Multi language support
* Thumbnail/preview option
* Paint option - to draw lines, circles, arrows, straighten image etc.
* Toolbar skins option
* Slideshow (save slideshow as EXE/SCR or burn it to CD)
* Show EXIF/IPTC/Comment text in Slideshow/Fullscreen etc.
* Support for Adobe Photoshop Filters
* Fast directory view (moving through directory)
* Batch conversion (with image processing)
* Multipage TIF editing
* File search
* Email option
* Multimedia player
* Print option
* Support for embedded color profiles in JPG/TIF
* Change color depth
* Scan (batch scan) support
* Cut/crop
* IPTC editing
* Effects (Sharpen, Blur, Adobe 8BF, Filter Factory, Filters
Unlimited, etc.)
* Capturing
* Extract icons from EXE/DLL/ICLs
* Lossless JPG rotation
* Unicode support
* Many hotkeys
* Many command line options
* Many PlugIns
* Only one EXE-File, no DLLs, no Shareware messages like "I Agree" or
"Evaluation expired"
* No registry changes without user action/permission!
* and much much more

Introducing Seadragon.com

At Seadragon.com you can share any image on the web as a zoomable photo.
Simply point Seadragon.com at any image you've got on the web, and in no
time flat, you've got a zoomable viewer just like this one. Share the link
on Facebook, Twitter, or through email or IM. Or embed it directly on your
blog, eBay listing or virtually any site. Go ahead, click on the image
below (or use your mousewheel) to zoom in, and drag it to pan around.

Seadragon.com allows you to share virtually any size image on the web,
whether it is a five, ten or two hundred megapixels. Because the viewer
uses the same Deep Zoom image technology available to developers in
Microsoft Silverlight, no matter what size the image is it loads quickly.
The embedded viewer adjusts dynamically to the layout of your page, or can
be customized to a specific size with just a quick change to a script
size, so now any size image fits perfectly on your site. And because
Seadragon.com uses a dual-mode Silverlight & AJAX control, it works on
virtually any browser--automatically using Silverlight to provide a
smoother experience and better performance when available, and defaulting
to a scripted viewer when it is not.

http://seadragon.com/

Call For Submissions / Dazibao, Centre de Photographies Actuelles / Exhibition & Publication Projects

Call For Submissions / Dazibao, Centre de Photographies Actuelles / Exhibition & Publication Projects / Montréal , QC/ Deadline Date: Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Dazibao http://www.dazibao-photo.org/ is an artist-run centre dedicated to the dissemination of contemporary photography. Through exhibitions and publications Dazibao supports artistic practices and theoretical reflections that offer innovative approaches to photography or that propose fresh links with other disciplines. The centre serves as a launching pad for young artists, and as an ideal place for more established artists to initiate and disseminate new projects. Dazibao welcomes artists from Canada and abroad.
 
Dazibao's programming is established by combining the submissions received as part of the call for proposals and/or from the initiatives of the board. Please submit only once a year.
 
Your Proposal Must Include:
1. a maximum of 20 slides, well identified, accompanied by a slide list (title, medium, size and date) or CD-ROMs (formatted in PowerPoint, MAC compatible) or DVDs (video work) (we will not accept web links or any variety of digital images sent by e-mail); please do not send original work
2. a clear description of your project
3. an artist statement
4. a curriculum vitae
 
Please send a self-addressed stamped envelope with sufficient postage if you want your application to be returned to you, otherwise it will be disposed of. 
If you are sending a submission from outside of Canada, please send postage in the form of an international money order, international reply coupons or international stamps.
 
Submissions must be postmarked no later than September 1st 2009 or January 1st 2010. If this date falls on a weekend or statutory holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.
 
We do not accept proposals via e-mail. Incomplete submissions or submissions sent after the competition closing date will not be accepted.
 
Results are communicated within six months.
 
Please send only one proposal per artist.
Send to :
Call for Proposals
Dazibao, centre de photographies actuelles
4001 rue Berri, espace 202
Montréal (Québec) H2L 4H2
http://www.dazibao-photo.org/

 

Getty Images on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/groups/gettyimagesonflickr/

http://www.flickr.com/help/gettyimages/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/2653264809/

http://www.seattlepi.com/business/369988_getty09.html

http://mashable.com/2009/03/11/getty-images-flickr-collection/

About the Flickr collection
Our Flickr collection reflects the passion of a community of photographers
worldwide, featuring uniquely personal images with an authenticity rare in
stock photography.

And because Flickr photos cover a range of subject matter – and are
available in rights-managed and royalty-free licenses – you'll find
options to meet the creative and budgetary needs of all your projects.

http://www.gettyimages.ca/creative/frontdoor/flickr?esource=googCAN_Brand_Terms&language=en-us&kw=CAN+getty_flickr

Tap into the collection
We've built several key features and functionalities into our Flickr
experience – creating an interactive, community-based universe where you
can:

Search the collection. It's easy to find just what you're looking for. Use
the search box at top left to do a standard image search, complete with
filtering options, or try the box at top right to discover images, fellow
users and photo clouds.

Create and share photo clouds. Photo clouds are a unique way to visually
group images that catch your eye – for use in a project or just to spark
ideas. You can share them, keep them to yourself, view other users'
clouds, mark favorites and follow users who inspire you.

Download extras. Looking for more ways to connect with our Flickr images?
We've got a Facebook app that lets you create photo clouds to reflect your
status, as well as a flash widget for adding clouds to your blog and other
personal spaces. You can even download a dynamic screensaver made up of
images recently searched for by other users.

PHOTOVOICE - giving marginalized youth a voice is through digital photography

"... Active listening takes time. But I was reminded this summer while working with aboriginal youth in the Northwest Territories of how it is time well spent. The challenges facing Canada's aboriginal peoples are well documented. I would like to share a story of what happens when you stop focusing on problems and start focusing on creative solutions.

It all starts with listening. When you listen to these youth talk about their lives, the first thing that strikes you is the pain. Whether the cause is physical, mental or sexual abuse, alcoholism, addictions, family violence, poverty or a combination, the impact on the youth is the same -- pain. They carry it around every day like a mantle, often suffering in silence, without the words to explain it, the skills to cope or the opportunities to express themselves.

Couple that with peer pressure. These youths are immersed in a world where how you look is more important than how you think, where your net worth is more relevant than your self worth and success is measured by what you have instead of what you have to give.

Fortunately there are ways we can make a difference. One effective method for giving marginalized youth a voice is through digital photography, known as Photovoice. It invites youth to explore personal and social issues from behind the lens of a camera. It's about empowerment and engagement, using new technologies and computer software they are already familiar with. It doesn't involve adults creating and delivering a program hoping to fix the problem. That's not engagement -- engagement is listening to thoughts, feelings and ideas, then getting them involved in the process of what the final project will look like.

My role is giving topic ideas or themes they can explore, then engaging them in the process by choosing their own topics they are passionate about. The process is as important as the final project. It's not just what the youth create, but the skill building, increased self-esteem and opportunity for self-expression that happen along the way. As a grand finale, we have booked the theatre in Yellowknife for a free screening to premiere their projects. It's our hope that family, friends and people from across the community will celebrate their accomplishments and support their hard work...."

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1698219

Photovoice is a participatory action research strategy using photography as a tool of social change. The process turns the camera lens toward the eyes and experiences of vulnerable populations and gives people the opportunity to record, reflect and critique personal and community issues in creative ways.

"These places that I've photographed, they actually do exist in our community. It's not all just, like, clean pretty on the outside. Some of the things are really beautiful and some of the things aren't so beautiful. But, they all exist and you all got to be aware of them, because the ugly things are what make the others things beautiful."

Photovoice Youth Participant

http://www.photovoice.ca/

"... At PhotoVoice we encourage the use of documentary photography by enabling those that have traditionally been the subject of such work to become its creator - to have control over how they are perceived by the rest of the world, while simultaneously learning a new skill which can enhance their lives.

To see a short PhotoVoice film please click here

"'Power to the People' was the oft-heard clarion call of the 1960's.  Now, at last, thanks to PhotoVoice, the disenfranchised and marginalised, the voiceless Other, have the tools to speak in the universal language that is photography.  Long may their eloquence enlighten and delight us."

Philip Jones Griffiths,

President of Magnum Photos 1980-1985

Patron of PhotoVoice..."

http://www.photovoice.org/

Syllabics Poster (front)

Syllabics Poster (front), originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

I designed this poster when I worked for the Nunavut Department of Education.

Resend: Fort Liard Young Photographers Workshop presented by the Frozen Eyes Photographic Society

Frozen Eyes in Fort Liard

http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157622002663578/

Images taken in Fort Liard NWT, Canada during a Young Photographers Workshop presented by the Frozen Eyes Photographic Society www.frozeneyes.com/ thanks to the sponsorship of the Hamlet of Fort Liard, NWT www.fortliard.com/ - BHP-Billiton www.bhpbilliton.com and the NWT Arts Council pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/artscouncil/

Apologies for the resend due to missing URL

The Frozen Eyes Photography Workshop in Fort Liard NWT

Frozen Eyes in Fort Liard

Images taken in Fort Liard NWT, Canada during a Young Photographers Workshop presented by the Frozen Eyes Photographic Society www.frozeneyes.com/ thanks to the sponsorship of the Hamlet of Fort Liard, NWT www.fortliard.com/ - BHP-Billiton www.bhpbilliton.com and the NWT Arts Council pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/artscouncil/

---

GEORGE LESSARD
Information, Communications and Media Specialist
451 Norseman Dr.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2J1, Canada

Yellowknife Land Line # (867) 873-2662
Yellowknife Cell # (867) 445-9193
SKYPE: themediamentor

Online Business Card:
http://lessardcard.notlong.com

E-mail: mediamentor@gmail.com

Home Pages: http://mediamentor.ca
My panoramic images
http://panoramas-by-george.notlong.com
My YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mediamentor
Online Activities: http://www.web.ca/~media/index.html
Photos: http://photosbygeorge.notlong.com
Photo Illustrations: http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157603627797568/
Etcetera:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/459582/

My Public Bookmarks: http://del.icio.us/themediamentor

Member:
Canadian Association of Journalists http://www.caj.ca
Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des artistes canadiennes http://www.carfac.ca/
Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective http://www.carcc.ca/

NYT: Lament for a Dying Field: Photojournalism

Lament for a Dying Field: Photojournalism

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/business/media/10photo.html?_r=3&hpw

[excerpt]

"...PARIS — When photojournalists and their admirers gather in southern
France at the end of August for Visa pour l'Image, the annual celebration
of their craft, many practitioners may well be wondering how much longer
they can scrape by.

Newspapers and magazines are cutting back sharply on picture budgets or
going out of business altogether, and television stations have cut back on
news coverage in favor of less-costly fare. Pictures and video snapped by
amateurs on cellphones are posted to Web sites minutes after events have
occurred. Photographers trying to make a living from shooting the news
call it a crisis.

In the latest sign of distress, the company that owns the photo agency
Gamma sought protection from creditors on July 28 after a loss of €3
million, or $4.2 million, in the first half of the year as sales fell by
nearly a third...."

Aurora Arts Society Mural Project at the 2009 Yellowknife Old Town Ramble and Ride

Diane Boudreau gives us information about the Aurora Arts Society's mural project that she and other local artists are creating in the old Hudson Bay warehouse as part of Yellowknife's 2009 Old Town Ramble and Ride
Video ©2009 George Lessard

Cost of water in Ft Liard

Cost of water in Ft Liard, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

Cost of water in Ft Liard
See
www.fortliard.com/
For more info on the community

Ceilidh Friends - Steve Goff

DSC_9770-m, originally uploaded by The MediaMentor.

Steve Goff (right), musician, photographer, geologist, and storyteller, passed away very suddenly on Saturday, August 1, 2009.

Ceilidh Friends – Yellowknife
Conibear Park Family Afternoon

Hailing from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Ceilidh Friends is a four-voice group that performs traditional, modern and Northern music.

Known for vocal harmonies, the group also plays a variety of acoustic instruments including guitars, Appalachian and hammered dulcimers, recorders, percussion, tenor and five string banjos, ukulele banjo, mandolin, bowed psaltery, and autoharp.

www.celtarctic.com/ceilidh_friends_main.htm

www.rambles.net/ceilidh_yellow.html

Merv Hardi ferry crossing the Mackenzie River

A documentation of the Merv Hardi ferry crossing the Mackenzie River next to the unfinished Deh Cho Bridge August 2nd, 2009 ©2009 George Lessard

George Lessard celebrates a personal photographic milestone

GEORGE LESSARD
is very pleased to announce
that his images on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/
have, as of
August 1st, 2009,
been seen
over 100,000 times.

Apologies for duplicate posts

--
GEORGE LESSARD

Information & Media Specialist
6402135 Canada Inc.

451 Norseman Drive
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2J1, Canada

Yellowknife Land Line # (867) 873-2662
Yellowknife Cell # (867) 445-9193

Online Business Card:
http://lessardcard.notlong.com

Home e-mail media@web.net
Alternate e-mail: mediamentor@gmail.com

Home Pages http://mediamentor.ca
Online Activities: http://www.web.ca/~media/index.html
Photos: http://photosbygeorge.notlong.com
My Public Bookmarks: http://del.icio.us/themediamentor

Member:
Canadian Association of Journalists http://www.caj.ca
Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des artistes canadiennes
http://www.carfac.ca/
Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective http://www.carcc.ca/

George Lessard celebrates a personal photographic milestone

GEORGE LESSARD 
is very pleased to announce
that his images on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/
have, as of
August 1st, 2009,
been seen
over 100,000 times.

Apologies for duplicate posts

---

GEORGE LESSARD
Information, Communications and Media Specialist
451 Norseman Dr.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2J1, Canada

Yellowknife Land Line # (867) 873-2662
Yellowknife Cell # (867) 445-9193
SKYPE: themediamentor

Online Business Card:
http://lessardcard.notlong.com

E-mail: mediamentor@gmail.com

Home Pages: http://mediamentor.ca
My panoramic images
http://panoramas-by-george.notlong.com
My YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mediamentor
Online Activities: http://www.web.ca/~media/index.html
Photos: http://photosbygeorge.notlong.com
Photo Illustrations: http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157603627797568/
Etcetera:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/459582/

My Public Bookmarks: http://del.icio.us/themediamentor

Member:
Canadian Association of Journalists http://www.caj.ca
Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des artistes canadiennes http://www.carfac.ca/
Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective http://www.carcc.ca/

"Who owns the photographs?" Should poor countries do more to exploit their poverty in the media?

Should poor countries do more to exploit their poverty in the media? A
film by artist Renzo Martens asks thorny questions about photojournalists
and aid agencies.

Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yREqd8QYtsQ

A line of Congolese militia trudges through thick vegetation. All but a
few of them are skin on bones. "We need to show them the bodies," they
tell the cameraman following closely. They lead the way to a huge compound
dotted with a few huts. A number of swollen, fly-infested bodies lie here
and there. The Western photographers zoom in, clicking away rapaciously.
Then they kneel and reposition their camera lenses for a better shot.

Later on filmmaker Renzo Martens asks one of the photographers, "Who owns
the photographs?"

The slightly puzzled photographer replies, "Me."

"But they organised the situation," counters Martens.

"Yes, but it is me that chooses to make a picture out of the situation, so
it is mine," the photographer insists.

more at
http://www.panos.org.uk/?lid=28074

"...Exploiting poverty

This is one of the many thought-provoking scenes in Renzo Martens's
documentary-style film 'Enjoy Poverty' being screened around Europe.
Martens is a Dutch artist who uses his film to protest against the
exclusion of the Congolese people from making money from a resource that
belongs to them. This resource is poverty.

He argues aid agencies and journalists alike generate the pictures of
Africa that we see for their own benefit, but do not make any real changes
in local communities. "There is no interest in changing the structural
issues," he says, "they [NGOs] want us to see a child suffering but they
do not show us that the parent is earning four dollars a week. It is
beyond their mandate."

Martens contrast the poverty in the Democratic Republic of Congo with the
earning power of the media who are there to capture it. We see, for
instance, the plantation worker who earns 50 cents for three days of hard
labour. He has a severely malnourished daughter, and he and his family
survive by eating manoic [cassava] leaves. A Western photojournalist, on
the other hand, could earn 300 US dollars for a photograph portraying
this.

In the film Martens convinces some Congolese wedding photographers that
they could earn similar amounts if they took photographs showing "rape,
death and malnutrition." However when they try selling their pictures to
the medical aid charity, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), they are rejected
because of their poor quality...."

Minister Bob McLeod's Reply Re.: ITI and GNWT's NWT Arts release form and artists rights in the NWT

"... ITI would be open to again inviting CARFAC to conduct such workshops and ensuring that they are available to artists in all NWT regions. ..."
---

GEORGE LESSARD
Information, Communications and Media Specialist
451 Norseman Dr.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2J1, Canada

Yellowknife Land Line # (867) 873-2662
Yellowknife Cell # (867) 445-9193
SKYPE: themediamentor

Online Business Card:
http://lessardcard.notlong.com

E-mail: mediamentor@gmail.com

Home Pages: http://mediamentor.ca
My panoramic images
http://panoramas-by-george.notlong.com
My YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mediamentor
Online Activities: http://www.web.ca/~media/index.html
Photos: http://photosbygeorge.notlong.com
Photo Illustrations: http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157603627797568/
Etcetera:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/459582/

My Public Bookmarks: http://del.icio.us/themediamentor

Member:
Canadian Association of Journalists http://www.caj.ca
Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des artistes canadiennes http://www.carfac.ca/
Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective http://www.carcc.ca/

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Bob McLeod <Bob_McLeod@gov.nt.ca>
Date: 2009/7/30
Subject: FW: ITI and GNWT's NWT Arts release form and artists rights in the NWT
To: mediamentor@gmail.com
Cc: Bob Bromley <Bob_Bromley@gov.nt.ca>, David M Krutko <David_M_Krutko@gov.nt.ca>, David Ramsay <David_Ramsay@gov.nt.ca>, Floyd Roland <Floyd_Roland@gov.nt.ca>, Michael Miltenberger <Michael_Miltenberger@gov.nt.ca>, Glen Abernethy <Glen_Abernethy@gov.nt.ca>, Jackie Jacobson <Jackie_Jacobson@gov.nt.ca>, Jackson Lafferty <Jackson_Lafferty@gov.nt.ca>, Jane Groenewegen <Jane_Groenewegen@gov.nt.ca>, Kevin Menicoche <Kevin_Menicoche@gov.nt.ca>, Michael McLeod <Michael_McLeod@gov.nt.ca>, Norman Yakeleya <Norman_Yakeleya@gov.nt.ca>, Paul Delorey <Paul_Delorey@gov.nt.ca>, Robert C McLeod <Robert_C_McLeod@gov.nt.ca>, Robert Hawkins <Robert_Hawkins@gov.nt.ca>, Sandy Lee <Sandy_Lee@gov.nt.ca>, Tom Beaulieu <Tom_Beaulieu@gov.nt.ca>, Wendy Bisaro <Wendy_Bisaro@gov.nt.ca>

Mr. Lessard,

 

Thank you for your email about the NWT Artists Database and artists' rights.  Promoting arts in the NWT is very important to the Department of Industry, Tourism, and Investment (ITI).

 

The NWT Artists Database is an NWT Program with the goal of providing exposure and publicity to NWT artists. Ensuring that artists are paid for the exhibition and use of their photographs is important to the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT). This particular Database is a voluntary promotional program for interested artists. More than 200 NWT artists have opted in to this Program so that their art can be featured on the web site and in related publications such as "ARTISTS' NEWSLINE", a regular GNWT Newsletter for the NWT Arts Community. It is just this sort of promotion of artist's works that is contemplated and allowed by the release form as presently worded.

 

In the case of public exhibitions of physical works of art, ITI either purchases the work in question or provides the artist with financial compensation for its display, even in cases where images of the work have been submitted to the NWT Artists Database. In your letter, you specifically mentioned tourism campaigns as being of concern; please note that NWT tourism campaigns are generally created by NWT Tourism, an outside agency that does not have the right to use photos submitted to the NWT Artists Database according to the terms of the release form in question. Furthermore, the Tourism and Parks Division of ITI has a policy of only using pictures from their photo library (which is distinct from the NWT Artists Database) and even then, only using photos once explicit consent has been obtained. 

 

We also appreciate you expressing concern about the importance of artists being educated about their legal rights and obligations. To this end, the GNWT invited Canadian Artists' Representation/Le Front des Artistes Canadiens (CARFAC) to the NWT to deliver CARFAC's Copyright Workshop for artists. This was done both by directly inviting CARFAC to deliver a workshop, on July 15, 2004, and by providing funding for workshops generally to the Great North Arts Festival, with which the festival paid for a CARFAC representative to deliver such a workshop. ITI would be open to again inviting CARFAC to conduct such workshops and ensuring that they are available to artists in all NWT regions.

 

We appreciate your concerns and thank you for your interest in the NWT Artists Database Program which aims to help promote and advertise NWT artists and their works.

 

 

From: George Lessard [mailto:mediamentor@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, July 25, 2009 4:39 PM
To: YT CARFAC
Cc: Carla Wallis; Peter Vician; Bob Bromley; Bob McLeod; David M Krutko; David Ramsay; Floyd Roland; Michael Miltenberger; Glen Abernethy; Jackie Jacobson; Jackson Lafferty; Jane Groenewegen; Kevin Menicoche; Michael McLeod; Norman Yakeleya; Paul Delorey; Robert C McLeod; Robert Hawkins; Sandy Lee; Tom Beaulieu; Wendy Bisaro; Boris Atamanenko

Subject: Re: ITI and GNWT's NWT Arts release form and artists rights in the NWT

 

Mario Villeneuve

National President
Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des artistes canadiennes
P.O.Box 31256
Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 5P7
867-393-4515
Website: http://www.carfac.ca
carfac.yukon@hotmail.com

Mario,

Thanks for your interest in this issue here in the NWT.... as a long time member of Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des artistes canadiennes and the Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective, this issue, the lack of payments to artists by the Government of the Northwest Territories for their exhibition rights and the lack of education for artists on all of their artistic rights is of great concern to me, especially as the government's Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment is mandated to assist our artists in the development of the arts sector in the territory

"... Building on partnerships, our vision is to foster a diversified economy that provides all communities and regions of the NWT with opportunities and choices.

The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment is working to meet this vision by: promoting development that reduces regional and community disparities; working with regional business corporations and other partners to identify new economic opportunities; Advancing alternative energy initiatives and supporting the development of sustainable local economies through small businesses and community-based sectors such as tourism, agriculture, arts and crafts, and the traditional economy. ..."
http://www.iti.gov.nt.ca/about-iti/

"... A valued reflection of the culture and history of the NWT's Aboriginal people, the production of traditional arts and fine crafts is also an important element of the Northwest Territories' economy.

This vibrant cottage industry is one of the key areas in which the Government of the Northwest Territories is working to promote economic activity in smaller communities and to expand and diversify sectors like tourism and the traditional economy.

The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment supports the arts and crafts industry with a variety of programs and services developed and guided by the NWT Arts Strategy. Read more... ..."
http://www.iti.gov.nt.ca/artscrafts/

A little background....

About four years ago, when I lived in Fort Smith NWT, The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) http://www.iti.gov.nt.ca/artscrafts/ held its first (I believe) public workshop concerning its NWT Artists Database http://www.nwtarts.com/NWTArtist.aspx and during that workshop it became clear that they required a release for any images images an artist would contribute to their own entry in the database that would release it, automatically, for any use by any sector of the territorial government.  See the text of the release here
http://www.nwtarts.com/pdf/Releaseformpackage.pdf

The lady presenting this workshop was / is Carla Wallis Manager, Arts & Fine Crafts...  CARLA_WALLIS@gov.nt.ca (867) 920-6130 who also is listed as serving as NWT Film Commissioner  (867) 920-8793 in the governments phone directory at
http://directory.gov.nt.ca/utility/directory/index.html

When I queried this provision of the release, pointing out that would automatically remove any potential for licensing (and realizing income from) these submitted images to any NWT government department (especially the tourism campaigns run by their department) I was told that their lawyer had told them that this was the only way that they could do this and if I had a problem with it I should talk to their lawyer...  I did do this and the lawyer simply said... in effect, that I did not know what I was talking about, and as a lawyer, this person knew more than I did and I had the choice of not participating... but the release could not change because it represented the requirements of the law.

I suggested to the group that they should go to the CARFAC and Copyright Collective websites to learn about their rights as artists.

About a year ago, here in Yellowknife, Ms Wallis gave a very similar presentation and the same release form with the same conditions attached was included in the package of information and I brought up the same question concerning the apparent rights grab by the territorial government... this time there were several other artists in the audience who were also equally concerned with the "license" and the potential loss of revenue to the submitting artists.... The reception our queries received was as frigid as an Arctic night in February and we were once again told the same platitudes expressed to me in Fort Smith.... One individual was even motivated to bring it to the attention of CARFAC as I had also done..

This brings me to the most recent ITI presentation at the Great Northern Arts Festival...
Well... four years later... same old same old... no change... still the same rights and income grab from a government department that is supposed to be helping artists with the same defensive attitudes of the department's position.

Any help you and CARFAC can offer to the artists of the Northwest Territories to protect their rights and incomes against what seems to me as a rip-off, would, I'm certain, be welcome by the artists... and any understanding / implementation of policies recognizing / protecting these rights you and CARFAC might be able to help ITI and the GNWT with would, I'm also certain, be greatly appreciated by the artists and their heirs.

FYI .... I am CCing this to INDUSTRY, TOURISM & INVESTMENT's Ms Wallis and

ITI Minister......................Bob McLeod................ (867) 669-2388  BOB_MCLEOD@gov.nt.ca
ITI Deputy Minister...............Peter Vician............ (867) 920-8048 PETER_VICIAN@gov.nt.ca
and the MLAs of the NWT.

I am also releasing this e-mail to the NWT media and Artists organizations.... four years is too long for this issue to have remained hidden and for NWT artists to have been treated in this deplorable way by their government.

Yours truly,

GEORGE LESSARD
Information, Communications and Media Specialist
451 Norseman Dr.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2J1, Canada

Yellowknife Land Line # (867) 873-2662
Yellowknife Cell # (867) 445-9193
SKYPE: themediamentor

Member:
Canadian Association of Journalists http://www.caj.ca
Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des artistes canadiennes http://www.carfac.ca/
Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective http://www.carcc.ca/

Online Business Card:
http://lessardcard.notlong.com

E-mail: mediamentor@gmail.com

Home Pages: http://mediamentor.ca
My panoramic images
http://panoramas-by-george.notlong.com
My YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mediamentor
Online Activities: http://www.web.ca/~media/index.html
Photos: http://photosbygeorge.notlong.com
Photo Illustrations: http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/72157603627797568/
Etcetera:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-lessard/sets/459582/

My Public Bookmarks: http://del.icio.us/themediamentor

2009/7/21 YT CARFAC <carfac.yukon@hotmail.com>

Thanks (...),
I will look into this, it is a bit of a broad request of rights. An other case of people just put legal jargon on a for without knowing what it means. I will get in touch with George via e-mail tonight, to see what we can do.
Thanks again for the head-up.
later
Mario

 

C/O Yukon Representative
National President
Mario Villeneuve
P.O.Box 31256
Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 5P7
867-393-4515
Website:www.carfac.ca