New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-07-21
LITERARY PIRACY.
LETTER FROM Mr.. CHARLES READE.
III.

The two great properties Of authors are "Copy.
right" the sole right of printing and reprinting
for sale the individual work has honestly
created and Stageright," the solo right Of rep
resenting the same for money on public stage. Tho
men who violate these rights have for ages been
called Pirates. The terms "CopyrighC and Stage
right" are our calamites. They keep us out of the
Anglo-Saxon heart by parting us from its language
France calls them both by one name. " les droits
d'auteurs," and it is partly the long use of this
human phrase that has made France so inst and
humane to authors. Warned by this experience,
pause in alarm before these ropulsive words that
stand like bristling wall between and manly
sympathy and imporc the reader of these letters
to be very intelligent to open his mind to evidence,
that under these unfortunate and technical words lie
great human realities; that both rights mean prop
o,ty and that to infringe either property has the
same effect to rifle authors house; but to in
fringe them habitualy by defect Of law or judicial
prejudice is far more fatal. The burglar only takes
an authors supernuties, but the unchecked pirate
takes his house itself and his livelihood:
"You take my house II yOu do take the prop
That doth susta my house; you take my life
II you do take the means whereby live"
do earnestly beg the reader, then in the name Of
wisdom justice, humanity, and Christianity. not to
be bailed 10y miserable husk, where there is really
rich kernel not to let the technical appearance Of
two words divert him from a serious effort to
comprehend the rights and the wrongs of those men
living. whose nsensble remains he worshps when
dead. In face of eternal justice the dead and tho
living author one man; the dead Is an author
who was alive yesterday. the living is author who
will be dead tomorrow. In a word, then, take away
OF mutlate either of the properties unfortunately
named, and You remove the sole check of piracy;
but Piracy unchecked the ruin and starvation OF
authors follow as inevitably as sunset follows noon
INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT.
To give the reader "A practical insight into this,
will select literary piracy, infringement of copy
riqht and show its actual working. The composition
is the true substance of book: the paper, ink, and
type are only the ri1icles. The volumes therefore
combine the substance and the vehicles and are tho
joint product of many artisans, and single artist
the author. The artisans, to wit the paper makers,
coinpositoIs prcssmen, and binders, are all paid
whether the book succeeds or fails. To go from the
constructors to the sellers you find the same dstinc-
ton: the retail bookseller takes the enormous pull
of 20 per cent every copy, yet the failure OK
tho work entails no loss on hm-uncss he
overstocks himsclf-because he is paid out of the
gross receipts. But the author and tho publisher
take their turn last, and can only be paid out Of
profits. Where there is a loss it must all fall on
author or publisher, or both Now, books not being
SO necessary to human life food or clothing pub
fishing is somewhat speculative trade 1t is calcu-
lated that out Of say ten respectable books about
half do not pay their expenses and of the other 1--we,
four yield but % moderate proht both TO author
and publisher; but that the tenth may
be a hit, and largely remunerative to pub
Usher and asthor, supposng them to share
upon fair terms. But here comes in the
Pirate That caitiif does not print from manuscripts,
nor run risks He holds alOof from literary enter.
l Il. -.
he and his fellows rush upon 1t, the property
limb from jacket, and destroy the honest share
holders solitary chance of balancing their losses
The miscreant who Reprints from propretor's type,
and rcaps gratis the fruit of the publishers early
advertisements and does not pay the author .
shilling can always undersel the honest author,
the honest publisher who pays the author and buys
publicity by advertising, and sets up type from MS
which process costs more than reprning. This
reduces the honest authors and publishers business
to two divisions the unpopular boohs-often tho
most valuable to the publicity which they lose
money or gain too little to live and pay shop stah
etc. and the popular book, by which they would gain
money, but cannot because the pirates rush i'll and
share, and undersel and crush and Kill.
DEATH 10 TRADE OR ART.
appeal to all the trades, and oil the arts If any
trade or any art ever did live, ever will live, or can
live upon such terms The trade-all commercial
enterprise requires Capital, and all genuine Capital
is timorous and flies from insecure property. Inc
art-to produce popular books requires, as a rule
such intelligence and capacity for labor as need not
starvc forever but can go in the course of genera
ton. and after much Individual misery, from litera
ture TO some easier profession. Therefore, Piracy
drives out both Capital and Brains and marks out
for ruin the best literature, and would extin-
cuish il if not severely checked. This Is evident,
hut it does not rest on speculation. history
proves it, Piracy distinguished an entire hler-
allure in Belgium Piracy, A. d.. 1870. suies
gigantic literature in the United States Piracy, for
a full century has lowered the British and American
drama 300 per cent. A. d.. 1854, the protection
afforded to Copyright by the licensing acts beng re-
moved. Literary Piracy obtained a firm footing
in England for time. What foowed' In very
few years handful of hungry pirates reduced both
authors and respectable publishers to ruin. them
and their families this sworn and proved be-
fore Queen Anne's Parliament, and stands de-
clared and printed in their Copyright Act.
Those collected examples of honest artists and
traders ruined by piracy are hidden for %
time in the Record Office; but there are many
sad and public proofs that Piracy can break an hon
est traders heart or an honest workman's. will
select two out of hundreds.
TWO HEARTS THAT WERE BROKEN.
The ill-fatod scholar we call Stephanus not
only ruined but destroyed, mind and body, by pi-
ratical abridgment. He found the Greek language
without a worthy lexicon He spent twenty years
compiling one out of the classical authors. 1t was,
and H. a gigantic monument of industry and learn
ing. lie printed it with his press, and rested
from his labors; he looked at his Colossus
with honest pride, and boosted on the titlo-page.
very pardonably
Ne duce plana via est, que saiebrosa fuit.
What was his reward man, who had eaten his