The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-03-13
It is for this reason that THE TRIBUNE has
undertaken to publish on its own account
history of the saving of the nation for our
boys and girls
Newspaper Copyright.

The bill recently introduced in the Senate
by Mr.. Sherman, of Ohio, granting copyright
on the contents of newspapers and the col
lected news Exceeding 100 words) of any
news association, for the period of eight
hours after publication, has given rise to
most lively discussion in the world of jour
nalism. The great metropolitan dailies are
practically unanimous in demanding its pas
sage, while the country press and the even
ing papers of the principal cities agree IN
opposing it, on the ground that it is intended
to bring about monopoly of the news. 1t
is held by the former that news is property
just % much as wheat or coal or iron, being
the product of enterprise, labor, and capital,
and that they are, therefore, entitled to pro-
lection against those who would appropri-
ate it to their own use. The latter, ON the
contrary, while they admit that news is
property, maintain that by the act of pub
hcation newspapers part with any exclusive
rights that they may possess, and that then
the news becomes the property of the pub
lie. To this, however, the advocates of the
bill rejoin that that the mere sale of news,
no more than the sale of copyrighted book,
involves the surrender of the exclusive right
to publication. Anybody, for instance, can
buy copy of CrawfoFd's novels, but if, in
defiance of the copyright on these novels, he
should undertake to republish them on his
own account, he would be liable to proseeu-
ton for the violation of the statute. Adj
issue between the advocates and opponents
of the proposed newspaper copyright law
seems to be limited solely to the question
whether the collection and publication of
news is an enterprise of such a literary
character as to be fairly entitled to the pro-
lection which law of copyright would
afford. The ground upon which copyright
is now granted to the authors of original
productions are those of public policy solely
TO stimulate literary genius and cultivate
a taste for letters-and it may well be ques-
toned whether the ordinary reports and
dispatches which make up the contents Of a
modern newspaper can justly be said to de-
serve the protection which is extended to
works of purely literary character
But even should the copyright law be SO
extended as to cover the contents of a news
paper, we do not see how its execution can
be made effective. It will be unlawful for
any newspaper to reproduce uerbatim ct liter
atm the dispatches or reports of a contem-
porary prior to the expiration of the stated
period of protection, but what is there to
| prevent an editor from reproducing in other
language the news of which he, in common
with the general public, has been put in
/ possession by the original publication
Will any one pretend that MIRA, having
heard from Mr.. B, who may have gained his
information from q copyrighted article in a
morning newspaper, that the President OF
the United States had been assassinated,
could not, without violating the copyright
law, publish that fact in his newspaper SO
long as he did not use the precise language
OF the journal that first announced the
news? Such conclusion would be absurd
|
THE number of pension certificates issued
and signed during the week ending March
8, 1884, were as follows: Original, 612
increase. SIG: reissue. CT: restoration. 81