The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-06-25
INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT.

INTERESTS or AUTHORS AND rUBrxsuKRs-IHE
SOURCE or OPPOSITION 10 INTERNATIONAL
corYRIoHr IN ENGLISH sTArurKs, AND NOT
IN AMERICAN srxTmExr-wHr Nh. 1Exxy-
son AND MISS rSoKLow DO not rk1rrIox
ron Ir-How IT CAN m SECURED WITHOUT
DIIyrxo AMERICAN PunIIsHKrs orI on Dusi-
NEss--soME PRACTICAL srcoEsrIoxa
To rns EpiroR nxEAlps-
A royal cosnmlssion has been appointed n Great
Britain, empowered 70 CONSIDER and procure.
possible treaty 81 international copyrisht between
that kingdom and tho unnsd STATES u n because
believe thai s0ch treaty voad b. an go Of Justice.
TO English authors particularly bui 20 treaeh snd
German; and none the le<s--ios shsy Interested
fully much any othersto eur oss aatherr thai
constrained 70 present 20 ths nnsxIs ies pf&c.
ical considerations which ssns ass v sml.s fos ~
commission 10 consider.
Ny country men have occssosAiiy besn called some
rather hard IA ecanecslon ~ith shls mailer
Ordinarily 10 10 NOT 10 the sshvves' thsx le~k for
protective legislation against thsssns tut s~ds from
that think can the commlssssas nrst. thai
every gentleman IN the United states behaves fully
In the rights and claims of authors shey pess4biy
cam second that tho opposition % lntsrn~cs@ copy.
right docs from IA bss actually from among
themselves aud from their cvn side ~ shs water {,
aud third that INV eoansrymsn sos only f~ser&hiy
disposed toward, but DESTROYS oi srmaryey sxtsna-
ing 10, literary the very protection which sAsy
endcavorng TO secure
Tho opposition 20 international eopyrlghs wlth
England has from people " The Tinted
States. That Is 10 say, u 10 understand ~
International copyright measure for the bcnsnt "
authors, n measure BY the provisons Of sLseh ao-
thorsthe writers themselves and MOI their publishers
or their bookscllcrs--can DO enabled receive
payment for thor labor aud disposs Of the tsnx
bic product Of their inteecs toll Tor vaios wthout
reference TO the geographical boundaes vkeh enclose
them. am sure that tho commission might travel
from New York TO San Francisco, from 81 Paul 10 "a
Augustine, without meeting = man. woman % child
who would disagree with IT. defy any mss-Eng-
lishman, Gentle Amcrcan--to' enJoy . book land
who will read . book he does not enjoy y with
grudge against Its author and I think sergeant Tai
fourd gave satisfactory expression 20 th sens
ment whom, his noble speech upon the rights Of su
thors In discussing tho extent 10 which author
should receive remuneration, he exclaimed ."D1t " ~
Is asked how much author should receive tor his
WRITINGS answer just - mich - has Readers ars de-
lighteu 70 pay himl'
But the opposition 10 an international copyright be-
tween England and the United stats - SUPPOSED 10
come from the publishers oi the United states 10
question OF dehnition again II, ~ ] have already
SAID TO understand ny International copy xhs
.ners su wi,h"u. regard 10 cline - ssy or
country, think | shall be able very clearly
the 70 esoss ISs ss' are '' s
natural enemies OF authors only obtains among those
authors III such are cnt,lcd 10 the name ~ ALI ~ho
cannot, by any possibility, ind pubshorA Toe author
who finds n publisher finds also, and that very
speedily, that he his best friend. Tor. as has been
repeatedly pointed out tho publishers aud authors
interests arc IDENTICAL The former quite ANXIOUS
publish paying book the latter be To
one Sa. 80 lar IRON shutting up ms sa, ssans ms
upon starving authors the publisher is waiting with
his iampoack and rags Ray, he Is standing on tptce
ply he may mud author who Will take his gold IA
exchange Tor book that his customers Will buy. Thu
picture will for the publisher OF any nation
atty and the enthusiasm with whirh he will welcome
= paying book will never be interrupted by question,
90 his part as 10 whether the author y an knslshua
Publisher never has expected TO publish paying books
without paying their authors am only repeating
what everybody knows when alludc 10 the TACT that
our American publishers, Rrauitously, send thou
sands Of dsllars to English authors; they
pay ns% S nS Sny REGULAR o tho
tho sales OF their books, (whe that consideration
has nothing OF corrse TO do with the mordis) doubt
IT, under an International copyright the gross amount
paid would be materially enlarged. Il might even
be cssencd, for under international copyright the
size OF the percentage would be matter VI bargain
made between author and publisher Ia contemplation
Of JOINT experiment, while at present. In the absence
OF such copyright II Is matter Of gratitude Tor =
success /.
Let me say word for the American publisher
John Smith, obscure English wfitcf publishes
book In England One VI his copies nds its way three
thousand miles the ocean and an American pub
Usher scts up from IT. and reprints the book. IL
pays the American publisher N gratitude he SENDS Mr.
Smith sum OF money, ana NJ Smith receives u IN
silence lie docs not rush INTO the London Itsscs with
u ssSir-Allow cxtol the American publisher
the most strikIngly generous in the world. When
the laws OF his country not only wink NJ but allow
him honoraby - make profit out OF my book with
out asking me II would ike Jenny oft, or without
my demanding or oven suggesting IT, be cordially and
freely sends mo check" Nor do Mr. Tennyson,
Mr.. Charles Spurgcon, Miss Jean Ingclow, all
OF whom, l am informed, have received and daily
receiving the sales of American editions
Of their books write letters TO the London Times TO
spread the before the world nor the American
publishers oslentatious enough to print the receipts
they receive from those authors but LOOK ut another
phase OF the matter Supposng that Mr. John smiths
book does pay the American rcprlntcr supposing
that dies stiborn, that the edition Is sent down
Ann street and the plates melted up and the whole
thing charged to pront and loss, what is II wc SEQ
thcns Why, Mr. Smith fairly flies into print The
London 1imss rings and resounds with the indignty
done British subject. The American publisher IL
robbcr thief h'gnwayman He steals unOushngiy
Mr. smiths book and Mr. Smith never hears word OF
IT, "A friend Of mine while passing book store in
New York saw pacard announcing an American
smith In the London Times. Every Grub hack
Ia ali England knows "a similar case sir, and the
brgauds has its day out and aies Mr. Tcnny son and
Mr.. Sturgeon and Miss lngelow, OF course, take no
part; they cannot, with justice JOIN in the hue and
they, with taste, proclaim that
their American publishers paid them, because that
would Gully be form OF declaring that their
books paid American publishers. as Mr.. smith did not
(which Mr.. smith and HIS cidqeurs know only too
weiL) Possiblyn Is that very knowledge which makes
them NOISY.
But, It may be argued what right has the American
publisher 10 help himself 10 book that Is not hsy
And does the larceny that lac sends the author
percentage the profits of the larceny, any profits
there bcs II break into my stable and carry on
my horse any the less stealing because, II he
WINS 81 ,O0O by running HIM, lie sends me $2JUy
The answer to this come from the English
themselves. who set Us the example of helping them
selves only 10 American hooks Ia practice which
they still conlnuc) but to French and German books
plays, &c.. without paying any body anythnga good
many years precedent, sorry TO say, Ia the
commercial world, which II has become very hard to
disturb And. again, n English and American publish
steal each Others booNs rcciprocay, there surely
be overbalancc OF the moral question involved
Stealing Is stealing aud II VIC steal more books. numcr
icay than they do, II Is because by Incident there
happened to be n greater demand for English books IN
the United states than Tor American books IN England
VI" s..ai,e h.t -. -, ~ ,si.r...