Legal and regulatory

2008, 33 pages. Grantcraft, The Ford Foundation, 320 East 43rd Street, New York, NY, 10017,
(212) 573-4879, www.grantcraft.org

http://www.grantcraft.org/pdfs/guide_gti.pdf

2008, 23 pages. TCC Group, 31 West 27th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10001, (212) 949-0990

http://www.tccgrp.com/pdfs/MaximizingFoundationEffectiveness.pdf

The Federal Communications Commission formally voted Friday (August 1, 2008) to uphold the complaint against Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, saying that it had illegally inhibited users of its high-speed Internet service from using popular file-sharing software. The decision, which imposes no fine, requires Comcast to end such blocking this year.

What was at stake

The hallmarks of a just and civil society reflect the values of artistic freedom and the rights of free expression. Increasingly these rights are threatened by the "clearance culture" that is found in most creative industries and assumes that almost no quotation can be used without permission from the owner. Fair Use is an important yet often misunderstood legal right.

Emily Dickinson couldn't have found a more perfect way to describe how so many artists and artist advocates approach the world.¹  It is tempting to give ourselves over to the rare work that fires our inspiration, and shut the door on everything else. It is often only in nurturing isolation and fringe communities that new ideas find their full flower. But there is a danger in the isolation.

We are very pleased that Ruby Lerner, executive director of Creative Capital, took up the challenge of writing about anti-terrorism language in grant award letters. As an intermediary organization, Creative Capital is in the position of being both a funder and a grantee. This dual role, shared by many other GIA members, gives Ruby an especially wide view of the topic.

2004, 25 pages. Published by Day, Berry & Howard Foundation, CityPlace I, Hartford, CT, 06103-3499, www.dbhfoundation.org

Download pdf: http://www.independentsector.org/PDFs/counterterrorism.pdf

2003, 2 pages. Alliance for Justice, 11 Dupont Circle, NW, second floor, Washington, DC 20036, (886) 675-6229 or (202) 822-6070, fax: (202) 822-6068, advocacy@afj.org, www.allianceforjustice.org

A handy supplement to Speak Up is a pamphlet produced by the Alliance for Justice. The cover poses the question: Lobby government officials, advocate for legislation, and you know what will happen? The answer is eye-catching: better public policy.