The sun., 1919-08-20
AUSTRALIANS ASK
FAIR COPYRIGHTS
Authors Charge That Present
Laws Work to Advantage
of Americans.

Special Correspondence to the Far Eastern
Section Of TIE sUs.
SYDNEY. Australia, July 12.-Aus-
tralian editors and writer's have started
campaign for n modification Of the
copyright agreement between Australia
and the United States, charging that the
present laws work to the advantage Of
the American writer's in British posses
sions and against the Australians when
they desire to publish their works In
the United States. As viewed here the
authors see little or no reciprocity In
the existing agreement and urge the
modification to give them greater OPP
portunity for publication abroad with
protection for their work.
The manufacturing clause in the pres
ent agreement with the United States Is
the objectional section. The Australian
| authors put their case briefly as follows /:
The American author can secure protec-
ton for his book or books throughout
| British territory by the simple expedient
of having one copy sold at one British
| counter. The British author-that In
| cludes the Austraiian-before he can
gain a copyright in the United States
| not only must have his work set up,
printed and published, but this must be
done within a certain time limit In the
United States, 1t Is charged that the
time limit imposes an almost insuper-
able handicap on the original publish
| ors.
C. ]. Dennis. creator Of 1.-The senti-
mental Bloke,' and other Australian
celebrities are leading the fight here and
has enlisted the aid of William Morris
| Hughes, the Australian Premier. In
presenting the case to the Premier Mr..
| Dennis wrote:
pray inform the imperial authorities
OF your intention to introduce n bill
reciprocating the United States manu-
| featuring law in the present copyright
agreement. No other course is likely TO
bring about a settlement in our lifetime.
American Books Everywhere.
Foreign authors were unable to Sc
cCre a copyright in the United States
sort of protection, however inequitable,
! against the pirate publisher. At that
time the United States had few authors
worth the attention of the British 'pi-
rate publisher, but It Is different now,
as a glance OF our bookshops will show.
American books are everywhere. Indeed
in 1891 the value of American literary
property here bore very much the same
relation to the British that the Aus
tralian literary property now does to
the American.
1.-THE United States never will volun-
tarily remove this injustice, and nego-
tiation would not bring about a settle
ment in the lifetime of any living Aus
, tralian author. But IL the Common
wealth Parliament passed an act re-
stricting the United States authors copy
right here in the way the United States
restricts us there a satisfactory settle
ment would probably be arrived at
within twelve months. At any rate
until Congress gave redress we should
have the satisfaction Of knowing that
what's sauce for. the Australian goose
is sauce for the American gander."
The Sydney Morning Herald in COM
menting on the campaign OF the authors
and the present situation says edito-
rally:
zone does not need to be very old to
remember how British authors suffered
from the enterprising literary pirates in
America, mushroom publishers who
brought out contemporary successes in
cheap editions-as well they might with
no royalties to pay--and spoiled the
over seas market for such writer's as
Stevenson and Henley. The unfairness
of the present American copyright law
has been admitted by American publish
ers. who nevertheless continue to profit
by it's provisions. They claim that they
cannot remedy the injustice and that
for this discrimination not they, but the
labor unions, are responsible.