Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-12-12
THE INTERNATIONAL COPY,
: RIGHT, BILL.


The REG STER is not among those who
appear to believe that the literary p:oduc;
of an authors brain is not entitled to Just
as much protection from theft as the me-
chanical production Ofan inventor. Never
thel6ss, or rather, for that very reason, we
are opposed to the bill that has psssei the
SeRsts and is now pending in the House,
known as the International Copyright
bill" 1t is not INTERNATIONAL in the
sense of reciprocal, for the simple reason
that there is nothing in it providing for
reciprocity on the part Of foreign govern
mtnts 10 American authors and publishers.
How the bill should ever have passed the
United States Senate is a mystery, for it is
Clearly solely in the interest Of ceItsin
wealthy publishing houses and adverse TO
the interests of both American readers and
authors. For instance, it provides that the
copyrighted hook shall be reprinted in this
country and that no copy of the book go
copyrighted shall BE- imported into this eOuR-
try. thus placing the American public at
the mercy Of Que grsat publishing house
English publishers would establish branch
publishing houses On this side Of the At
lsntic and charge Americans what they
chose. In plain words, the bill is simply
to brig about a vast book trust by which
the price Of books may be advanced
throughout the country, itch publishers
made richer and the printers Of cheap lit
erature driven out Of the business, which
would also mean an enormous decrease in
the amount of reading Of good literature
ia this country, probably the worst feature
of sll its bad features
The bill makes it the duty Of American
pOstmssteIs TO spy cut and seize all books
going through the mails that infrioge the
copyrights Cf fjreigne5s-s nice state CT
affairs TO contemplate.
The enactment into q law of this per
nicious measure would be no protection to
American authors, who are amply protect
ed BY the present law in the United States.
1t would give them no sUcA advantages in
Europe as It would give European authors
in America. The vast amount Of mercy
paid TO American authors remains within
the coautry. The proposed extension Of
the copyright privileges of foreign suthOr'
to this county would draw millions Of
dollsrJ cut Of tie United States annually,
besides making rs pay from 100 to 500 per
cent. more fot the privilege,
In 1873 thers was such a bill introduced
in Congress and the joint Committee on
the Library, consisting among Others Of
Senators MORRILL and SHERMAN, made
an adverse report upon ii, in which they
said:
Your committee are satisfied that no form Of
international copyright eau fairly be urged upon
Congress, upon reasons Of general equity or OF
constitutional law: that the adoption Of plans
for the purpose which has been laid before us
would be of very doubtful advantage to Ameri-
can authors, as = class and would DO not only
an uuquestionsble and permanent injury to the
manufacturing interests concerned In producing
books, bu: q hiudrauce to the diffusion Of knowl-
edge among the people and the cause Of uni
versal education; that no plan for the protection
Of foTsigu authors has yet bsen devised which
can unite the supporter all, or nearly all, who
profess TO be favorable to the general object in
view; and thatiR the opinion of your committee
any prof t for an International copyright will
be found upon mature elaboration 70 be mex.
pe1ienL"
This report was made after full discus-
s:oa by both sides aud after the most care
fol examination.
This question he's hesn before Congress
Of aud on for the past half century, but
no measure has svsr received the support
this present measure has received from
the Senate, probably for the same reason
that trusts have never furnished till noW