The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-01-15
COPYRIGHT IN CANADA.

The Canadian Minister OF Justice, Sir
John Thompson. has made public a c0mmu-
nicati0n addressed to him by the Secretary
OF the Colonies, setting forth the injustice
under which Canadian manufacturers of
oks labor because Of the present state of the
copyright law. The British Copyright Act
of 1872 extends British copyright to all COL
onies md dependencies of the empire. 1t
also permits alien authors to copyright their
works on condition of temporary residence.
Fol owing is an extract from Sir John
ThOmpson's argument:
Tie high price of British books almost en-
tlIely prevents their inns oTtatOn into the colo
dies, the wants Of which are supplied mainly
by American reprints; The reason being that the
British books are copyrighted and the Amer-
can rerrlBts, being piIated, are published with
out recOmpeDse 10 the author.
The Canadian Minister of Justice desires
In this argument to make it appear that the
fact lhatreprints are often published without
recompense to the authors is the reason for
the lower prices at which American reprints
are sold. In another portion of his argu-
ment he says: 1.-The prices of British pub
cations still exceed six OF eeven fo.d that for
which reprints are purchased in America"
We trust Sir John Thompson will make an
other argument showing how the lust recon-
pense TO an author has such an effect upon
prices. Who gets this large difference-the
author, OF the publisher who has the exclu
sive right to reprint foreign works? An
American reprint selling for % cents.
would, according to Sir John Thompson,
be held in Canada at 81 TO And all
to protect the author, who possibly gets
about 10 cents of the additional price. The
statement of the Canadian Minister of JUS
lice is if correct, conclusive against the
enactment of a copyright law in the United
States which will advance the price of re-
prints sevenfold. A law requiring the
American publisher of foreign work to
give the foreign holder Of copyright 10
per cent of the selling price of the proposed
reprint would add but little to the cost of
the reprint, and would compensate the
author much more literally than would anv
per cent he would receive from a higb-priced
edition. Assuming that 25-cent reprint is
sid with the authors stamp at 30 cents. A
copyrighted book might sell at 81 10 Would
not the author be likely to receive more
money from his 10-per cent royalty on 80
cent reprint than from any royalty that
might he allowed him ON 81 70 reprint?
i he effect Of the copyright bill that is pend
ing in the Senate would be to put the United
States in respect to the reprint of foreign
books in much the same position Canada
now is. The English publisher now has
exclusive rights in Canada, and if this bill
should become law, the holder of the
English copyright, whether living in Eng
land or America, would possess the exclusive
right to reprint the work in America. He
might sell this right to an American pub
fishing firm and in that case that firm would
possess exclusive rights. Publishers have
pushed this bill through the House under the
false representation that it was necessary to
the recognition of the authors rights in his
own work. But the authors natural rights
In his work NAV be much better secured
by requiring foreign publishers of works to
buy stamps Of the authors.