New-York tribune., 1900-07-10
HALL GAINES MISSION.

HALL GAINES MISSION.
The Colonial Of5ce could not disregard the Ie-
r-cus-rarces against this measure. Yet il shrsnk
f-ou The responsibility Of vetoing the act out
rlEhr and exciting The resentment Of CanaGa.
i hung W the act and encouraged Mt. Hall
-at-e n 90 10 Canada as the representative Of
-Es Incorporated Society Of Authors and TO ar
range COMPROMISE Of some kind, with 4 re
s--tcre5 application OF the manufacturing
clause and with safeguards In the interest Of
foreign authors and IubIislers. Mr.. Game was
1or The official representative of Mr.. Chamber
lain nut rhe Colonial Office would have been
highly pleased If the controversy had been
brought 70 an end through the personal Efforts
q an English author The negotiations failed
or account Of Z change o. Ministry IN Cara6a-
The French Foreign Office also interviewed n
-h= controversy and adopted the argument o.
The Syndicate q Lice-ary and Artistic Societies
10- The Protection Of Intellectual Property, q
powerful body, with E Central organization IN
which Ten associations were represented. The
text ot the Canadian act was critically exam
in=d. and Mr.. Gaines account Of his negotiations
with the Dominion Government was also re-
viewed. but remonstrance against the pro
posed compromise was grounded upon the man
utac-urtng clause, which was regarded as ir-
recc1cLabIe with the vital principle Of copy
r-gh- established a. the Berne Convention
Copies % this protest were sent 10 the foreign
o1ces o1 the various governments which had
entered into that agreement
The amended bill, which has been taken up
by the Laurter Ministry as q Government meas
ure. may not satisfy the French Syndicate Of
Literary and Artistic Societies, but IL meets with
the approval OF some OF the stanchest cham
pons q International copyright in England, and
publishers 70 sanction II. The bill is e compro-
mise ike the copyright act Of the United States
cur il does not run counter 70 the principle Of
Uniform copyright IN the British dominions. and
Hereby escapes the censure Of the Berne doc
--t-aires and the imperiaIist martinets. II
converts the American manufacturing clause
-1-9 q printing license for Canada. under the
control OF the author; but il leaves the essen
tia- principle OF copyright as IL was established
b. the Berne Convention and adopted by the
British Government as a uniform system for
the Empire. There never was & more ingenious
compromise. and the Canadian Government and
its advisers IN the publishing trade and among
The authors deserve credit for remarkable as
tu1eness IN anticipating and f0reztalling objec-
lions.
PRINCIPLE OF COPYRIGHT RECOGNIZED.
TIE proposed act authorizes licenses for the
reDr-n-ing of books which are copyrighted in
the United Kingdom OF in the British posses
SONS IN this way the principle Of copyright IS
recognized as the Uniform law OF the Empire
and as Independent of the place Of printing and
O. every other condition as 10 the manner Of
manufacture. An author whose work IS first
Or simultaneously published anywhere in the
Empire has z copyright which the Dominion
Parliament in the new act respects and does
not seek 10 take away. II authorizing a strictly
local license Tor reDrtnting the work in Canada
and in prohibiting the importation OF rival ecl-
t1cHs from the British d0minions, the act keeps
the use ot the literary property entirely within
rhe authors control, and hence does not inter
1ere with The natural relations Of vendor and
purchaser respecting personal property Of all
kinds II the British author makes his own
terms with the Canadian printer Or publisher,
The local edition for the Dominion exclusively
ear De- authorized by the Minister for Agricui-
-ur and the importation of all other copies Of
ork can be prohibited. II Mr. Kipling or
nthouy Hope chooses 10 make special
or q Canadian edition il viii De licensed,
ar editions Of the same work viii be eX-
O. rom the Dominion II no arrangement
ls copyright obtained in England still
noi1e for Canada. and the authors rights are
Adequately protected.
The proposed biI leaves the author the master
OF his own literary property. and that Is the es-