The Federation will seek to take on important legal cases that set precedents, which defend basic creators rights. The model for future cases is Tasini v. The New York Times. In June 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a September 1999 unanimous ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit, which found that The New York Times and other publishers had committed copyright infringement when they resold freelance newspaper and magazine articles, via electronic databases such as LexisNexis, without asking permission or making additional payments to the original authors.

The Federation is already exploring cases in a variety of areas, including: anti-trust activity among major media companies; employment and hiring law; and the legality of contracts that seize creators’ copyrights in perpetuity.

The Federation hopes to raise $5 million for the legal defense fund to pursue landmark legal cases in defense of creators’ rights.

If you would like to make a contribution to the Legal Defense Fund, please use our on-line donation system.