hesperis,
There have been many "Class Actions" filed and won by artists since the 1970's. One that comes to mind is a law suit filed by the Boston Visual Artists Union (BVAU) over copywrites for visual artists. I am not a lawyer, so I don't understand a lot of the legalese in this case. I am having dinner tonight with Ron Leax, a sculptor, professor, and longtime fishing buddy. He was instrumental in organizing this case and I will pick his brain for some answers. I will post my findings tomorrow.
wdyat12