New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-12-04
NTERyArIOYAL COPYRIGHE
VIEWS OF AMERICAN PUBLISHERS.
COMMENTS UPON MR. e. W. SMALfFf' LETTER
VIEWS or A PROMINENT ENGLI-i WRITER

VIEWS OF AMERICAN PUBLISHERS.
! COMMENTS UPON Mr.. G. W. SlALtFY'' LETTER
! VIEWS or PROMINENT ESGII-I WRITER
! TONE or TIE DISCUSSION T. E>GLAND.
! To NE razor ~ Thr Tr d nine.
SIR: In Mr.. Snalloy's letter on International
! Downright. Published in THE tribune this morning,
/ yoIr correspondent says: "IIow a treaty notori-
ou.y drawn mp by publisher aid in publishers
interests came to bc accepted by the STATE Depart
mrut in Washington, Transmitted 30 the American
/ Lcgqtion IN London, communicated to the British
| Government, and finally published rs draft treaty
submitted bv he American 10 the British Govern
,ncut-how an this happened is q point on which
have before asked FOR information; which nobody
seems in - hurry to give Further on inc expresses
hi, surprise that ,ae American Government should
have laid the basis for negotiation b" treaty IN
which the views Of publishers. and pubAsne-- only
were put forward
Nr. SmaIlcy write, under ON entire misapprch'n-
sion of the fact. i'm the ca-e In the summer Of 1850
one of the leading authors of Ncv-Euglaud wrote
90 Uarprr & Brothers requesting their cooperation
in negotiating on equitable copyright treaty be-
tween the United states and Great lirtaiu. IN re-
plv the NaS.r.. Har'cr sent the drait OF such
treaty which they had held for several months NM
der cousid rat n. Copies of IL were fu'ni'trd 10
the leading author, of the United states. and IN
August. 1850 the following petition. signed hy
Henry W. LopkfcIlow. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Il.
Waldo Emerson, John q. Whittier. w D. lIowclIs,
George Bancroft George William Curtis. Charles
Eliot Norton, James Parton, +. J.. Nhppic, George
TicLuor Curtis. Donald g. Mitchell, aud many 9th
ors. was forwarded to Washington:
" The hon. WILLIAM W. EyAI.1s. Secretary ~ >Hto,
The undcr,i gucd American authors approve the
international copyrLht .r"rtv proposed 10y N'>-Ts'
UIrpcr a Brothers. rcprcscutuC the American
publishers. and r--pec fully petition that such ac-
iion may be- taken bY the Department Of sat" -
viii lead 90 the clrly negotiation OF the Treaty
The above author, petition was sent to Secretary
Eyarts in August, 1-~O. aud 1t was not mill the
following November that the publishers petition
was sent It was signed bv the loading puhlishrrsof
NcN-Yorl, Boston, Philadelphia Chicago, Cmcru-
maitland san Francisco. twill hardly bc claimed
that a treaty thus approved by authors cam hr -a'j
10 be drawn u the interests OF Hubl~I.I-aluuc. lac
pamphlet in which thrs approval Is c'n.p'ruou7Iy
printed together with thr drdt ~ 90" tf,aty. Wa
largely circulated iu England. and n 1 strange that
Mr. Smlllcy should have Jailed 10 nee H. II "onid
have given him the very information for which he
The draft of he treaty appended 10 a.. foregoing
ucttioY. of American authors was sent g. tIr So.
fary of state and was bN HIN forwarded 90 th"
American Minister b. London, iu order that British
opuou uI The subject Wi -ht Doe o., cited. IL Wt- ALSO
Communicated for the same lurror 10 ilr BRUSH
Foreign Office. large number ~ British authors
gave il an unqualified approval and eventually
Lord Granville under dat of March J. 1851 wrote
| to MIR Iowcltha' Her HuicstV. Government would
=, '',,,t f., r.J,tiIt. an il. Lo,I." al t,,t I,r
,ri,i H., ,,,. =, Li,h t'r art,...t.I tr,, ,,,,
before tho British public aud Government There
J. mo r,,,.t.r, whatever about H. f. va. accented
! Nv most aut nor, in America and England and
recognized by Her Majc-ty'- Government a, Am
| equitable bas', Of negotiation.
WINS o. AZ EsGIl-H WRITER
In connection with Mr. Sm1llrvs letter permit
me to call attention TO temperate and, on the
"H'''' J"'i.'' avn l..'....l "''.' ON inc SUD
jcot tIom the pen ~ MI W. Fraser Rae, printed 10
fine haven't cr number OF The Nta,L,sg C,t,.a
: H., r,,r.r ,,,,t.,y,, 80, ,Li..,,Ii... -.
I'm '''''' ''7' " ''"S, - """'''''
MI lac occupies hli'a'I NANNY with Nh" past
rather than with the present aspects OF the case
and ouitr o,,prlo,kg fine fact that orpn.it, T., Ga,
=. w. "
movement '"""'" ''''' ''''"'' '"INI'thi no" pro-
cccds not from America, hut from gland. Until
within r,crnt times opiuion was p.,rI,, ,,..,I,.
Y;.;Ja5 - ,i,i. c,,,,.,i, ,,,.o,, a..
ulNlu'" ~ "''' '''''''' "''" wv f"'7'"'' y"
English authors nave "rIll'h more st"uuouslv in
favor of international COPYRIGHT thanhgye American
II . - l., .,,..L mt. 49, II :, =,
"n'''oI'' "'' ~ '"'' "'''''' ~ H. - carey an"
DR.. Beayltt Whose ult. RANGES have been % dead
letters for years. may he opposed English al
note. wLo have held the same views
II may be noted, in passing that Mr Rae DIS
countcnaucrs the use oil the term "pr,tcs " ,cbiL
English authors and publishers have dcIioLtcJ T.,
apply to American publishers who have printed the
works of foreign authors. Not only, rs Mr.. Rae
JitlN "'' ' L ',' % ;o '"hrn HneIG no law
right 10 reprint an Engli Ii book Of viicb tho
English copyright has not expired that English
publisher, nave 10 TrHrlnl me worEso Chanc"r
addcd those of recent an b6rs whose =, ,nt Lvo
expired by legal Imitation; but he might have adj
mttG4 more Ir"m mndys ,nh" he has done that
nublishcr has habituallv rrnrirtod Ti,'i'hh
works without making an equitable ar
IaIscp' T'il i veil n" r. i or