In a surprising move, the US Senate has passed its version of the Orphan Works Bill on Friday.

The S.2913 bill provides a limitation on judicial remedies in copyright infringement cases involving orphan works. It was introduced by Democratic senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont on 24 April this year.

The bill is expected to pose a threat to international photographers by allowing pictures editors and art buyers to use free of charge images with unknown or incomplete copyright information, as long as they have made sufficient attempts to track down the absent copyright holder.

The senate version of the bill has long been opposed by international associations representing the rights of artists, including photographers. Another version, introduced in the US House of Representatives have yet to be put to a vote, however, associations fear that the House might choose to approve the senate bill instead.

The US Illustrators Partnership has called for US artists to call their representatives in Congress to oppose the bill. For more details, visit http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/issues/alert/?alertid=11980321.