>"I shouldn't have said "stop being so paranoid!" And I shouldn't have called you naive. My apologies for being in a "testy" mood. I shouldn't have singled you out because I get the impression that most artists aren't aware of this issue. Even Frank Ippolito, an experienced and highly respected illustrator, admitted that he wasn't aware of this issue. I completely agree that the federal anti-trust guidelines seem absurd, at least as far as illustrators and other freelancers are concerned. The original intent of the law was to prevent big companies from getting together to fix prices. This was for the benefit of consumers. Instead, the big companies continue to merge and consolidate their power, while the little guy gets screwed. In its present form, antitrust law protects big companies from us, not the other way around. This is why the IPA and other arts organizations support the Conyers Bill and other initiatives to give freelancers collective bargaining power. If nothing else, I hope this discussion has been enlightening for the rest of you on the listserv. Jim ___________________________________________________________ James A. Perkins, MS, MFA, CMI Assistant Professor of Medical Illustration College of Imaging Arts and Sciences Rochester Institute of Technology Bldg. 7A, Room 3415 73 Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, New York 14623 RIT office: 585-475-2443 RIT fax: 585-475-6447 Studio: 585-226-8149 Studio fax: 585-226-6965 [log in to unmask]