, 1879-05-23


tho Prosbytcry.
THE PROPOSED INTERNATIONAL COPY
RIGHT LAW.
We printed few days ago a report of
some remarks made ut q meeting In London
by tho historian FnouDE, in which, areaking
of tho American people mud their growing
lovo for art md literature, le referred to cor
tain recent efforts made on this aldo Of tho
ocean to do Justice to foreign authors by
providing thom certain compensation for
their worka. Upon tho assumption TINT
American publishers would hereafter labor
for mud succeed in establishing m 1nserna-
tiono1 Copyright Inv, by which authors could
be protected In thor property, ho drow warm
pictures Of the encouragement which would
thus bo givcn to literature.
The subjoct Of MI international Copy
right law ia by no means new one. 1thas
beon discussed vary warmly by English au-
thors for many yearH. Tho practice Of
American publishers has been to obtain
oarly copies Of European books aud publish
them in this country. Having to pay the
foreign author nothing for Ills property, these
books havo been produced In the forms
noeGed to meet the tastes and mcnns Of oil
clasaes Of readers, md, tho sales boing largo,
tho profits havo boeu great. Tho protests
havo beon numerous but rnavailing, md the
European writorH who llavo seon their works
appropriated aud sold in enormous numbers
without q penny Of compensation have not
hositataa to donounco this Byatem ne pirncy
of mean order. ponunciation has ofton
gono 10 far as to name American publishers
doing this business, and to accuse them OF
| tho " robbery" Of European authors.
There Inns bocp recently quito change in
sentiment among American publishers, and
they havo boon moved to urge that some Inv
bo devised whereby foreign authors may OBJ
tain soine compensation for their property
when used in this country. We understand
tho clango proposed is, TINT an American
| publisher, by m arrangement with a foreign
author, cnn obtain n copyright for any book
published in this country, which copyright
sl,nll protect such publisher against Rny in
torforenco by auY other publisher In this cour,-
try. We. do not, howovor, understand TINT
this chango is altogether tho rosult Of
| growth of moral sentiment or Of dosiro to
aoal honestly with foreign writer's tho roviv-
nj OF honcsty on this subject does not, for
instaneo, extoud to making compensation for
the go-cnllcd "pirnoy" which las boon
cnrriod OIL so extensively for tho past forty
yoars. 1t Is ouly to npp'y to tho future.
Wo aro FREQ 10 say TINT vo regard the pro-
posed change as ono Of doubtful policy, tho
more especially bccause it ia prompted by o
soltlBAnesa which ID hardly the best inspira-
ton for chango Of either morals or law.
An English publisher might export copios
Of lis book to this country, and they might
10 sold in this country, oven in competition
with tho piratod edition, aud thus tho foreign
author might got soma compensation for l,s
publishers, llowovor, have takon precautions
against anything 30 just rs tlliy. Though
by ttoir rreaont proposition thoy nc.
knowledge successful trade for forty
years in stolen goods, they llayo
always enjoyed legal "protootiou to homo
industry" whereby The London publications
sent to this country lavo been subjeoted to a
duty Of 25 per cont. Tho London publisher
mud author could not compoto with the
"pIratcs" and pay o5 per cont in addition.
Tho tralo in stolen goods, therefore, has ELL
joycd protection under tho broad ngis OF tho
American tariG aud the Custom-1Iouso
American roadora havo been thus deprived Of
purchasing books from tho authors publish
era, aud thereby havo boen ,natlo accessories
to whatever injustice theso authors llayo suf-
forod Under Tho guise Of protecting 81 homo
industry" tho Inv las punished the whole
reading public Of this country, Ms well rs
authorized the plumber Of foreign authors.
Alr. FnouDE stated that 100000 copies of
TESxxsoN hayo bpoD sold In the Unitol
States, from which TEsAYsox novor obtained
a cent.
Ono American publisher lns list, nnnl-
bariug perhaps 400 works by the bsst En-.
glish writer's, which ho has beou publishing
during the last thirty years, aud selling most
extensively for 80 cents per copy iii pnpe1
covers, and proportlonately higher in clotll.
Those books embraoo aomo Of tho choicest
works In the English language, aad tho do.
mand for them has not only been great, but,
until within fow years, continuous.
Having nothing to pay to tho writer's, the
sale of these publications has boon of groai
profit. Within tho last fow yonrs, howovor
thoro Inns grown up M opposition trado,
All thcso samu wor1ts, and also nil tho bcst
current works Of forolga writers. have beou
published and arc now rotailod ut tht
low price Of u cents d copy. No leu
than tlreo, aud porlapa more, publishing
establishments In this country hnvo been Is.
suing these books In good style, OH gooe
pat>er and vol printed and flootlinD tl,f