, 1884-02-20

A movement has Just been inaugura-
ted by the Western Associated Press
In the form of an application to cong
ress for such amendment to the copy
right law as will recognize, the proper
ty-right existing in the contents of daily
newspaper. Hon. Henry Watterson,
the editor-in-chief of the Louisville,
KY, Courier-Journal, is engineering
this novel scheme in congress. This
proposed law is intended to protect
property In news from piratical concur
rent publication. To ecure this i'm
portant end In view an effort will be
made to insert q clause in the copyright
laws making collected news, the prod
uct of skilled labor and outlay, eIclu-
sive to those who pay for 1t for twenty
four hours. BY this Is meant, all
news and news of every description
and Of every association. As matters
stand, news is not recognized as prop
erty at all, Everything about a news
paper office, from the perfecting press
TO the newsman's pot of paste, is prop
erty, and he who steals It falls within
the reach and compass Of the law, but
that which constitutes the real value
of a newspaper property, its news fran
chises. costing vast sums of money
and wears OF special enterprise, training
and labor. has no legal status whatever.
1t is practically outlawed.
The trainers of the bill claim trat
there is no constitutional objection ex-
listing against such proposed law; and
they further claim that what is denom-
mated as .newsu is a modern invention.
1t demands the best and rarest of
skilled labor. 1t involves forecast, or
ganization and outlay. 1t IL an intel
lsctual and material product, Why has
it not the same right to legal recognition
and protection as other classes of prop
erty? Suppose a newspaper published
In the city of New York and sold at
three cents. obtains at great cost and
pains important matter, should a news
psper published right alongside and
sold at one cent be allowed to get an
early COPY and issue concurrently this
same matter. without paying a nickle
for itP Again, the difference in time
between points relatively east and west
enables a publisher, who is so disposed,
to make use of the enterprise of others.
The provisions of the bill apply alike
to matter sent by wire or post, and it
. Ia believed that it will act as a bar to
tbieyishly inclined parties stealing
news. from the fear of mourning the
penalty attaching to their r~ascally |
transactions. There can be no ques-
ton that the law should recognized and
protect a newspapers property the
same as other recognized and projected
modern inventions. Whilst we and
every other fair minded paper, arc in
favor of stern laws against infringe
ment of intellectual labors and the
strict punishment thereof, we cannot
nevertheless fail to see some difficulties
lying in the way Of such law. Now,
news. like the air we breathe and the
water we drink is in its very nature
free; 1t goes from mouth to mouth and
ear TO ear without any restriction, for
1t is the rehearsing of what has been seer
or heard. So far as its formulation is
concerned, there can be no question as
to an individuals or company's right
to claim exclusive control of the same
as in the case OF works OF fiction, a
history or any other literary production.
Unless a man invent the ''newsn we
are at a loss to determine wherein lies
his exclusive right to 1t; and invented
news would only be fiction and a gross
imposition upon those who read and
accepted 1t as the embodiment of facts.
Though the copyright may give an
exclusive right to the news, or the use
thereof, in a particular formulated
manner, 1t can hardly reach that
which Ia mere matter of fact In state
80
+, %, vorv ono who sa.s on ,ncidan,