Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-29

At the third plenary sitting Of the inter-
national copyright convention in Berlin
November ID the articles
Articles OF the revised convention
a, of Berne were adopted
and signed by all the dele
gates to the union excepting Sir Henry
Bergne. the principal British delegate.
absent because of serious illness. Mr..
Bergne and NJ Renault. it may be re-
called. are the only members Of the pres
ent convention who signed the Berne con-
vention of 1886 and who participated in
the negotiations in Paris in 1890.
DR.. Won Studt, by reason Of his position
as Prussian minister and as principal del
esate, was the nominal president or the
convention. but it was NJ. Renault. chair
man of the French delegation, who, by
reason of his experience, directed with
ability the proceedings. NJ. Renauit IN
his concluding address said: Union mas
been secured by renOuncing absolute
| unanimity. This time there are no ao-
dtional acts. and all the delegates have
signed the same revised convention.
The main object for which the conven-
ton was convoked, and which has been
in session for several weeks, was to SIM
pify and extend the protection ACCORDED
to owners Of literary and artistic copy
right, including musical copyright, under
existing agreements, particularly that OF
the Berne convention Of 1885 and the aooi-
tional act passed at Paris in 1895.
One of the principal hardships under
which authors suffered was that under
previous conventions they had been heid'
| at the expense of time and money. to
prove right to copyright which the court
should properly presume to exist.
The question of duration of the author s
rights differs materially In the several
| countries of the union, and the necessity
| of securing uniformity on this point was
persistently urged by members. France,
! for example. protects the authors WORK
! during life and fifty years after death
Germany until thirty years AFTER; spain
| until eighty years after; England until
seven years after death or forty-two years
| after publication.
| It Is of the highest importance to the
author that the law courts henceforth will
| presume copyright. which
Authors will permit the author to
n.e. defend his work promptly
and without the expense
which he was heretofore obliged to make
| in tedious and costly searches.
Mr. Solberg. the register Of copyrights
at the Library Of Cong, ess, in his prelimi'
nary remarks in citing the text of the
Berne convention creating the Interna'
tional Copyright Union. September 8. 1881
for the protection of literary and artistic
works and supplementary supulations
says:
1.-The treaty was signed at Berne or
September 9, 1885, by the plenipotentiaries
of ten nations. and notifications were ex-
changed at Berne on September 8, 1887
the proces-verbal being signed by the rep
resentatives Of Great Britain. France
Germany, Italy. Spain. Belgium. Switzer-
/ >frfo Hnf{ vpN nd
although the representative of that state
had signed the convention on September
| 8. 1856. The signature upon the part OF
| France included Algiers and the other
French colonies; upon the part OF spain
| all Spanish colonies. and upon the part
of Great Britain, India, Canada, New
| foundland, the Cape Natal. New South
Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania
South Australia. Western Australia and
New Zealand
The register Of copyrights, in view OF
the particular interests of Americans 1r
copyright in Canada. has compiled and
published a handbook containing all the
copyright laws of the British North
| American colonies.
The register explains that as the United
States is not as yet a member OF the In
ternational Copyright Union, registration
does not secure protection abroad, and he
adds that neither the copyright Office. MOI
| the librarian of Congress, nor the register
of copyrights can take charge Of copy
right entries for registration or protection
in European countries. THE so-called
International copyright act'' (act of March
3, 1S9D, he says, extends the privilege
e1gn authors. citizens of certain foreign
| countries; and the act OF March 3, 1905
secures a special ad interim protection
for one year for the works of foreign
authors.
| But these acts do not secure any priv.
leges of copyright abroad to American citi-
zens except as some for
Protection eign countries not pre-
49,, viously granting copy
o""' rights to citizens OF
the United States may. since the enact
right privileges to American authors In or
der to thus secure. under the operation OF
these acts. copyright privileges for their
own citizens in the United States
| Since the date of the constitution OF
| the International Copyright Union the
| following countries have Joined: Luxem-
| bourg, June 20. 1880; Monaco, May 30
| 1883; Montenegro, July 1, 1893 (but with
drew from the , union April !: 1900; Nor
Denmark. July 1. 1903; Sweden August
| !, 1904, and Great Britain's colonies, the
Transvaal and the Orange River colony,
May 6, 1908.
Three great nations still hold alOoi
| from the union: Austria Hungary, Russia
and the United States
Recurring to the provisions OF the con-
vention of Berlin, it abolished the time
| limit of author who was given q
maximum of ten years in which q trans
| lation of his work could be protected.
| 1t was held to be a heavy hardship
upon works of serious character to
| thus limit its protection. This innova-
| ton in the interest OF the author will
| be given general approval.
The question of newspaper copyright
| was discussed at great length, and finally
| it was divided under three specific
heads. First, absolute protection to
| serial stories and all other literary, sci
entific and artistic work published in
neWspapers and periodicals. Second