New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-20
TO STOP DRAMATIC PIRACY.
AUTHORS AND MANAGERS PLEAD FOR
PROTECTION.
ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF THE BILL TO AMEND
THE COPYRIGHT LAW MADE BEFORE THE

THE COPYRIGHT LAW MADE BErokE The
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON PATENTS.
Try TELEGRAPH TO THE TRlnuNE1
woeb,ngton. Feb. l9-The Committee on Patents
~ tho House of Representatives, Of which General
- Of ,tassachusetts is chairman. to-day heard
rcrept, in favor OF the passage of the bill offered
bv Mr. Cummings. OF New-York to amehu inc
DOWNRIGHT law, and from questions asked anu en-
nressions dropped by members or the committee II
became apparent that the bill would be iaVorapiy
ronortod 10 the House. probably by unanimous
vote The bill provides that any person Pup"ois
performing or representing any dramat'c OF operauc
comnostjon for which a copyright has been oD-
tanned without consent of the proprietor 'hcrcoi
or his heirs and assigns shall be hape lot ua"s's
IN he assessed at not less than 500 Tor the MS, anu
so for every subsequent performance and II IL sha
he determined that such unlawful performance anu
representation was wilful and for proit suc person
or ncrsons shall also be deemed guilty or mis-
oemeanor and liable to Imprisonment Tor periou
not exceeding year. 1t is further proVioeu .a'
any Injunction which may be gTahteu ny any VT
cuit Court OF the United States or any Judge thereoi
against the performance or representation vi any
such composition may I've served on the persons
tvs. whom such Injunction may be granted
onvvbers in the United States and shall be oper-
at,ve nd NAV be enforced by proceedings 10 PUNISH
for contempt otherwise by any o.her C"'u'
Court or Judge in tho United states Out t'ie oe
motion In any other circuit In which he or they may
ho engaged in performing or representing said
comnosition 10 dissolve set aside the injunction
on notice 10 plaintiff service OF the motion TO be
made on him in person or on his attorneys a" INC
action The Circuit Courts or Judges 'he'eoi S'''''
have jurisdiction to enforce the in)uhcuoh ana u
hear and determine a motion to dissolve the same
as fully as II the action was pending or brought III
the circuit in which said motion Is made.
u.N,crRs AND AUTHORS PRESENT.
Tho delegation which appeared before the com
,,.,os 4, behalf of the bill made an exceedingly
favorable IMPRESSION Among those present were
Messrs Palmer Frohman. French and Miner repre-
senting the managers and Bronson Howard ). l. -
Clarke Charles Klein. Franklin fYies' NeNoh
Wheatcroft Herbert Wnslow and Harrison Gray
Fske representing the authors MeSSIs I,
Palmer Fiske and Miner and exJudse Dit,yiiV 5
addressed the committee MT Toward Sp1 H ~ I'm U''
the authors point OF view" anu Ia. 80 nnnr,,ic
lice which the authors OF dramatic ana oPeta..c
compositions are compelled to suer Ii , IN W. x
ing OF their works. Ills statement OF I"|.s wa" 40
nnd nrlv strong and effective well ~ interesting.
Mr. Fske of The Dramatic Mirror ais2 ur.se 81,
lowed by Messrs. Palmer and Miner III, .,ru,
MIR Palmer related his experience WIN in sp3n
He succeeded at great trouble ana ,AP'S., .rsc,
ming the performance OF a piraied ana imperIIc'
copy or imitation Oh me hIyse ana his per
formances TO Texas and u was tlcn io"i.u tn .
te omrt roud not bo enforced in Texas which Is
in n different circuit. Mir Palmer dweit on the iact
hat
wu performod and at popular prices o! admission
are derived OF doing SO In a great measure ~ ne
tnd ard irnnerfcci copies of those plays and give
performances, usually one night IN pia'v,
ances of fhen When successful play had had
long run In high-priced theatre II was tsh.ias
ronroduroI without alteration and by gcpd a'torS
IN rlaces OF amusement where popular prices ol
admission charged ara mus ''r'iyrs0HtS rT
mates however were constantly ana persi''snuy
but also ieprivng certain classes OF playgoers oa
the privileges and benefits tncE Mor rpt,on
v1u as in pocket by having these plfa'"l Dr.
fosted the public and ne reput@u@ a Ei ror
rxample he had formerly paid TO bronson howa t
rovaity OF SIS for each performance OF one Of ms
u,avs and he now had to pay 10 per cent OF me
| proceeds for every performancc vi. .,so snake
briehy but TO the point. The pirates. he said weIc
intelligent as well as uns.s d,irs tn tro
dmee play and then have 1t turn out hai ia'i'r"
They never steal one 81 those plays fnin me o| a.
FRESHMAN: but when We get hold OF play WA. !.
= eiiocess-what we call a regular corker M
pirate is after US quick and ,mpnden, 10 sc,he r
KIN ner p Continued "fhere Is firm in Chicago which
makes a regular business OF DONG dns nlay
lsh in a book pamphlet every copyf'sh,rn p'~s
! and thev sell the book FOR s. copy. n uanat,s
may n, COR of It for s. and play 1t al over The
mn'ry and he cannot be punished as the law now
stands.
PROPERTY RIGHTS N PLAYS
! Judga DittpnhOcfer tncn SuHlln'" "F INV
favor OF the authors and responsible Manager
, ,o strone and unanswerabe argument ~
,ovor Of the Cummings bill. He started WIN the
,ronoetion that play is much properly as a
horse or dog and the owner OF 1t should receive '
same protection the owner Of any other spocaos
o oaw enoS' M thief who steals play Is pun
ished with fine. which he Is usually , unape 40
nnrd cares nothing FOR. because he IS prcunlarHy
| IRRESPONSIBLE; but the thief VINO s'ca!s " nor =.
o uoS - recovered. is restored TO the owner.
| me present law virtually gives no protccton az
all to tn the auth"r G bv pmns him in jail he would
| stop stealing plays Judge Diitenhoeter men went
piescnt law TO protect the rights Of authors and
managers who own pays Al Dshver ne Sa,r, inc, me
Ing "a prominent prate-who has been pirate
from way back.who9 be r named from pertoTm
was broad enough TO everything even the
Of the psy.and aier IT haa eef the 'S5p ps
| simply took himself out Of the inrlsd elton a. the
United States Circuit Judge who had granted II
| and resumed his performances IN Texas. To stop
him there would involve another expensive legal
proceeding. and after an Injunction had been OBJ
inrisdctlon Of the United states Judge Of the
circuit which includes The state OF Texas ana con
MI Mr. Hutchinson. OF Texas, who IL member OF
the Committee on Patents WAS dispSsed to con- on
United States cannot punish FOR contempt person
order but he reconsdercd his opinion before the
Argument was closed. On this point Judge Often
hoefer referred to the jurisdiction conferred on
the Circuit Courts Of the United States by Section
"a OF the Tariff Act OF 1891 In against trusts
and combinations in restraint OF trade. and showed
that the legislation asked for the protection
OF dramatic property IS on a parallel with that.
His argument an exhaustive and comprehen-
sve one which left no point uncovered or obscure
and IL evidently produced n deep and favorable
Impression on the committee.
PACIFIC CABLE PLANS CONSIDERED
ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF THE COMPANY HEADED
BY JAMES A. SCR WISER PRESENTED TO THE
FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE.
Washington, Feb l9-The Senate Committee or
Foreign Relations this morning gave much consider
alton the propositions for connecting the United