New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-05-20
A NEW OWNER OF THE BIBLE.

HE HAS VALUABLE RIGHTS TO THE USE OF
THE BOOK AND WANTS TO SELL THEM
! The Tribune could have remarkable privilege
Just by turning its hand That Is fgurative
REPRESENTATIVES a newspaper has literally
any hand-meaning that it could have the privilege
easily. By paying 500 to in Kentucky The
Tribune could acquire the right to quote the
Scriptures. Moreover, il could have the exclusive
right for the city of NewYork 10 quote them IN the
! manner prescribed. The man in Kentucky reserves
the right other territory presumably to sell it
10 others at the Obviously there IS thus
fortune within his grasp. And how did he get this
right? BY the payment OF 81 TO the United States
| Government, which, to his understanding, pater-
J nally controls the Bible, II does many other
| things Was there ever anything so easy and so
profitable? Doubtless he sell his rights for ar
least thousand pieces of territory in the United
States and there he will have 100000 for his ex-
penditure of 81 This is the letter that the in
| kentucky writes:
Manag11ng Editor, The Tribune. New-York City
| Dear Sir: have copyrighted the plan Of pub
fishing daily chapter from the Bible IN the daily
VIII sen You the sToiastxs right to publish adnv
right for Nevv-Yoril city exclusively for 500 cash
payable in advance.
papers IN this country, you will no doubt at once
realize the value OF such daily pupncauon: o.,
any writer's on the earth create and produce for
c0ntaned i in the Ssh Bibs Simple as it may seem
was several years engaged IN eD4aslng ri the loe:
hustlng newspaper man, trying to progress TO me
this is the greatest newspaper plan conceived
since Newspapers have been printed -.,,zo, -
The Bible is the standard and the great model OF
the English language, for its style Nine-tenths
6ta lg PG4acquaihted With it Therefore it would
be news and news OF the gFeate 6s 6b6r YOUR
eise conceive of a plan superior to this?
Countless other reasons VIII suggest themselves
to you when YOU think Of the matter so theTe
bears the prirna facie stamp of commonsense ana
You are paying men for the best ideas you can
gather. Twelve years of observation ana study as
been occupied in evolving this plan Ny charge 0t is
T Tisiap for or the he city Of New-York,
Il viii increase the circulation OF your paper per-
m open receipt nS Of 5 Yl vii in due
! Very truly yours
There is q establishment awaiting the man in
! kentucky He will find either that customers will
buy the Bible of him but slowly, or else that the
law is not quite all that he supposes The tribune
! is not going buy the right to quote scripture
which IS thus offered for fifteen The only
/ reason which it IS necessary here TO mention Is
that The Tribune does not believe that the man IN
| Kentucky can protect it in the rights which he
offers to sell. There is little popularity in the
/ laws concerning copyright which mas caused fuch
! disappointment before this time
Anybody who chooses can copyright anything ne
! chooses He pays his dollar and files his copies
| il IS to be trusted that the man in Kentucky did
not forget 10 file copies of the Bible with the
/ librarian of Congress-and the thing is done. But
! when he thinks that somebody has fnfrlngeo ms
right then IT his business 10 prove that ne hao
/ INV right 70 begin with. The Court decides this
when a case is brought, not any official connected
| with the copyrtght department when the applca-
ton is made. In this point the law differs from
! that in regard patents. When an application lor
| a patent is made the Patent Office undertakes 10
III r-iC
ns+entable But with copyright it is not so. You
| can copyright anything, and then it devolves on
| you TO prove your rights in court
John Doe can copyright the name Of Richard Roe
! if he likes and then If Richard Roe ventures to
! use his own name John Doe try his best to
restrain him. but he is likely to be told by the
/ Court that he had right TO copyright the name.
and he may then count the dollar that he paid as
/ good as gone. And just so, If any paper should
choose TO print the Bible at the rate Of a chapter
! a day-as, indeed, none seem disposed 10 90 just
/ uow-and the man in Kentucky should try to en-
/ force the rights which he thinks that he has, he
would suddenly learn that the Bible is not copy
| rlghtabe at all that anybody who chooses can
print word Of II any part Of 1t or the whole
! OF it. Just when and just often as he chooses,
and that he can no more restrain anybody else
/ from doing so than anybody else can restrain HIM
/ In short he will find that instead Of making
100000 he has lost 81 and thus the labor Of twelve
years and 81 are gone forever 1t IS a sad matter
! but governments proceed on the absurd supposIton
| that people know the law.
terrible thing is a wasted life, or even a wasted
! part Of a life Such a notion as this may be as
! difficult to evolve the man in Kentucky says
that il is but truly IL does not look so. 1t seems
! rather easy after has seen il done. For in
stance why should The Tribune pay 800 the
! privilege of printing the Bible when Shakespeare
IS almost good English and it could print all the
plays at the rate of a & day without expense.
! The Tribune could even copyright Shakespeare and
make other papers in other territory pay 500 each
/ for the right print the plays in the same way.
| And then. why not copyright Homer or Virgil
! Ovid the Koran or Goethe or Chaucer or Milton
! or Topper?
If you want TO read the Bible, there is other
! way do ii good TO take the Bible and read
! It. II you want read about the South African
/ war the Ice Trust read The Tribune. Each pub
! LEGATION has its place.