New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-07
INTERNAIIONAL COPTEIGHT AG1IN.

lutlOns were adopted 10 me tItct 'h"L lhUuEh'
svbcn given TO the world, is, as light, free to
aour and that the safety of republican n-ttl-
tons would be endangered if foreign authors
Rad tbe mower TO fix the price Of their books
in This country. On October - the topic WAS
considered again in Philadelphia 10y the b ok
Trrde Association, ana report was adopted
on the scheme for an international Copyright
Convention put forward two years ago 10y tie
Uarncrs of this city, and sometimes sDOken OF
rs - the Harper Treaty" Several of the largest
publishing houses OF Philadelphia-LippincUtt,
Peterson Claxton, Cowperthwait, and others
had previously given tLeir adhesion to the
Harper scheme: but the Book Trade Assoeia-
ton opposed it, and indeed objected TO The con-
clusion of any treaty at all. a treaty, they
argued, if negotiated and ratified, would be n
secret by the State Department and the Senate,
"and in manifest violation OF the rights OF he
"people and of their representatlYcs-tne
" House. 1t will be seen, therefore, that GER
tain rude and harbarOus notions respecting the
tights of property still prevail in Philadelphia.
1t must be said, however, to the credit Of the
members of the trad concerned IN this dcoiara-
ton, that they have advanced eood WY
beyond the bunbum resolutions OF 1872. Ihey
recognize the justIce-peGhaps we ought ratAe.
TO say the conveniencc-ol protecting foreign
authors provided the people are allowed to
arrange the terms by an Act OF Congress which
they can repeal or amend whenever they please
They wish to retain the power of annuiling the
deed of Justice if they find that they are losing
money 10y II. They point ont BESIDES mum
Der of alleged bcmishcs III The Harper Treaty
upon winch 1t is not necessary to enlarge az
present, since thcy affect only matters of detaiI
which would. of course be carefully discussed
by the Commission to whom it Is proposed that
the scheme shall be referred. The essential
idea of the Harper arrangement Is In fact APP
proved by the Associations and the draft OF a
bin was adopted by them October p granting
copyright to il foreign author provided his book
is wholly manufactured IN the United state
within tWo months from the date OF It's pubhc4-
ton i'm the country Of its origin.
The great obstacle TO tie CONCLUSION ol an
international copyright agreement has hitherto
been that the FOREIGN publisher insisted upon
our granting Lin the privilege of controlling
the American make. and forcing is to ouy cx-
pensye books of him instead of reprinilns
them in the cheap editions which our readers
require in other words, we have been asked to
protect the foreign publisher instead o. the Tor
elm author. The trouble now ems To be that
American publishers, in their scheme, Tor an
arrangement with Great Britain, are committing
the same fault for which they blame their Eng
Hsh brethren. They are proposing laws
and treaties entirely lot The protection
OF the American firms engaged in re-
printing foegn books, holding or
only what General II ucoc, woad ell incl
dental protection (aud not much of thaD 10
tine author. The only logical and purely equit-
able plan would be to prohibit Unauthorized re-
prints absolutely, and leave 10 opuona. with tie
author TO take out a copyright abroad, and cause
lis bool, to bee rcpubisued there, %. 80 ivs.! al
the publication 10 ID, own country if be thought
that course more TO on, advantage But nearly
all paItir, to the discussion admit shat there is
no probability OF the question being settled at
present in THE way, and That il is best TO agree
upon some other plan uud which the author
viii waive certain o. his ,tic, nights in cOn>ld
Grafton of the protection guaranteed him by The
law. Al the American proposals now before
the public sdpulte that tie author may take
out a foreign copyIight-tnc book to bc wholly
manufactured in the foreign country provided
the republication is elected within fixed
time; falling this proyiso, The work Is 10 be-
abandoned TO the ~mr'cs." Mr. George II.
Putnam suggested that this fixed time should
be SIX months; the HIrpcIs wodid shorten It 10
three months and the ph..ade pima A,>ocia ION
proposes that the republication shall b, ont
lawed unless it is on sac within two months OF
lis publ anon in the county OF origin. As
eugTayings, maps, etc., are % be protected a.
we'll as the text, AID 10 b. " wholly manuiac-
" tured in the country where lhe gat j.
obraineI, this Limitation OF time wou.d practi-
cally exclude a great many illustrated woIas
from The operation OF the act. Tn worst, how
ever, of these close Icstlctions-.wJ m)l,,s,
three months, even six that they pltc" the
author at an enormous DISADVANTAGE IL treating
with the foreign bookseller. lie mus, maxi d
snap contract, or he will lose the chalc oi
making any. "IOu must come to our tens,
say the publishers. OF else we will wait a we Is
= 81 two and then take your book for nothing.
And if after making contract for the rcprir.-
M of an English book the American hou.e FIJI.
either purposely or by accidcAt-to have T.
ready within the required time, the helpc-,
author loses his right forever; and be has no !
'cdrcss. The two or three months limitation is |
! capital thing for the large pubiishiu houses, |
'ut gross wrong to all authors except those !
VINO are popular enough b command their own
,ar gains.
The Harpers, in their letter to Sccre .ary
warts in November, 1873, suggested an intel
ational conference in which America and Great
Britain should be equally represented, each by
hree authors, three publishers. aud three pub
clsts. / his part Of the scheme, at all events.
eseryes hearty approval. Such body would
i've careful study to the objections maze
gainst the draft treaty, a. well ~ to its fundA-
len,al principle; and we are persuaded that on
he basis proposed by the Harpcrs an equitable
arrangement might be devised, protecting alike
ne foreign author and the domestic manufac-