New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-02-12
THE AGREEMENT UPON INTERNATIONAL
COPYRIGHT

Nearly half century ago Senate commit
tee of which Henry Clay was chairman pre-
scented a report ON the subject OF international
DOWNRIGHT in which the principle underlying the
nroposed reform was stated with great SIM
nlicitv and force @That authors and invent
= ors have, according to the practice among
g civilized nations, a property i'll the respective
anroductions of their genius, is incOntestable;
u and that this property should be protected as
q effectually as any other property is, by law
= follows as legitimate consequence. IL
sbeing established that literary property is en-
titled to legal protection, 1t results that tl's
"protection ought to be afforded Wherever tne
q property is situated" Yet so late as 1878 an
other Committee of the Senate made the aston
ishing report that " any project for an lnterha-
tional copyright was "inexpedient," ana that no
nlan had been laid before them the adoption OF
which would not be "an injury to the manu-
featuring interests concerned IN producing
sbooks,n and "a hindrance to the diffusion OF
knowledge among the people and to the cause
of universal education"
We have made great progress in eleven years.
There is not much said now about the mex
nedencv of doing justice Tor fear OF injuring the
manufacturing establishments concerned In
doing injustice; nor are we often urged 10
difuse knowledge and promote education by
Numbering our neighbOrs. Perhaps we have
begun to clear our minds of can't Perhaps we
are beginning to realize that after once al
hitting the right of property III literary pro-
ductions-as we and all other civilized nations
do by establishing domestic copyright-We have
no excuse for refusing to protect 1t within our
jurisdiction, merely because the owner happens
TO be foreigner any more than for refusing to
protect foreigners purse or the bale OF mer-
chandise which he sends here for sale. But the
general favor with which the international
copyright project is now regarded seems to be
the consequence not only of an improved moral
sense but of changed conditions OF trade. Inc
ouestion has been so complicated and confused
heretofore by the conflict of interests between
authors and publishers that Congress has had
some reason for not acting. Now, however, the
state of things has changed; and even the pub
fishers who have done the largest business In
keeping I'D our manufactures, charging popular
intelligence and diffusing education by the ap-
propriation of foreign books, perceive that in
ternational copyright is quite as necessary FOR
their interests as for the protection of authors.
The fact is that literary piracy tends to cor
| rect 1tSelI NY us OMu CAOcoSVo' A'NiJ IVY
being at liberty to help himself to foreign
books, the rival reprinters have been running
one another. For while the people profted by
| the competition, but that could be only tenn
porary advantage; for even pirate will not
| diffuse education and intelligence unless he can
make money by the process The margin OF
nrofit has grown smaller and more uncertain,
| and the number of houses engaged In sharing 1t
has increased, until at present the business
| seems to be virtually blocked. Certain kinds
| of cheap reprints have sbecOme absolutely I'M
salable, because no sooner has one publisher
placed them on the market than rival has is
sued the same books in a little more popular
shane, and this competing enterprise in turn has
been destroyed by third. The bookseller is
beginning to feel that an international copy
right law isl needed as much TO protect him
against cut-throat competition as to protect the
author in the enjoyment of his property. The
printer and the paper-maker see that their well
fare depends upon thei boOksellersj and the
reading public comprehend that cheap literature
never can be secured by the ruin of those who
are engaged In its manufacture. SO we have
reached point where justice to foreign authors
encouragement to our own authors, protection
to our manufacturing interests, the interests OF
education and culture, and the popular demand
for cheap books, all require international copy
right and with this concord OF support Mr.
Dorsheimer's simple and sensible bill ought to
pass. --------