Illustrators in the United States have never received the income they earned from having their work reproduced overseas.
While other countries already have a system in place to return fees to artists, American artists have been thwarted at every attempt to have these earned fees paid directly to the artist. In fact many do not know these fees are being misdirected and distributed to organizations without their consent.
One such organization called the Graphic Artist's Guild has been receiving artist's fees for a very long time with no accountability and especially with no mandate by artists.
Amid their own claims that they have "grossly mismanaged funds" that has "lead them to the brink of bankruptcy", I fear these funds will continue to be diverted to fund organizations such as GAG, instead of to the artists who have earned these fees by creating the original work.
There is a growing foundation of seven organizations called the "IPA Reprographic Rights Coalition" who have been asking for accountability regarding the use of these industry funds. Not surprisingly they are having a hard time changing a bad habit in the states, even if other countries already are returning fees to artists.
Time will tell if enough people will listen to these true artist's organizations or if the money will only continue to fund an organizational revenue stream to make up for "gross mismanagement".
It is common sense. Reprographic royalties are the earned income of all published illustrators and these fees should go not to any one group but only to the artists who create the images.
Check this link out for more or click on my link for the Illustrator's Partnership:
http://www.illustratorspartnership.org/01_topics/article.php?searchterm=00257
