Those of us who make art for a living are fueled by the concept of copyright,” explained Georgia Stitt, Chair of the DG Copyright Advocacy Committee. “If I write a song, my hope is that one person will sing it and another will play it on the piano and another will hum it while walking down the street and another will dance to it at a family gathering. Copyright is what allows me to say, “That’s my song.” Copyright honors the fact that I created a thing, the thing I made has value, and the money the thing can produce is due at least in part to my investment in having made it. A song can be sold, it can be given away, it can be donated, it can be stolen. Copyright protection says to the world that our culture values intellectual property; we enjoy things like books, plays, songs, and poems, and we believe that those who trade in such “creations of the mind” should be able to reap individual recognition and financial benefit from the industry that they generate. If you have ever enjoyed Bernstein or B.B. King or Bjork, it’s because someone protected that work and allowed those artists to keep making it. In terms of the theater, that someone is The Dramatists Guild, and I’m honored to be part of this month's focus on and commitment to Copyright Advocacy.”