Evening star., 1928-05-31

There IL in session, now, In Rome, an
Internationl Copyright Conference, un-
dertaking to formulate a copyright Law
which will suit all nations and be rati-
fed by all governments 1t will be as
sumed by most general readers mot tn
elusive Of would-be authors and poets
that the subject OF copyrighting Is OF no
interest TO the general public, except
that 1t prevents the sale OF books at
drug store prices. Yet without a copy
write. or what musician compose, or
what publisher could print?
The common law gives the writer OF
any letter speech. essay. book, or other
writing an automatic copyright title to
what ne has written, but that title
holds good only until he publishes II.
As soon as a statesman exercises his
leave 10 print, he loses his common
law copyright. From the date Of pubii-
cation, only a copyright statute gives
him further protection.
In the light Of the common Law, II
takes some boIdness and criminality for
| an "entcrprising" newspaper TO steal
| q letter Of any person. and publish II
without his consent. even II the author
| has not registered copyright claim %
| protect IL. And the truth OF what Is
| published IN not always safe defense
| In court. It may aggravate the oiiense.
/ The institution Of statutory copyright
protection Of authorship originated In
ancient times-how far back is not
known. There may have been such a
Law In Solomons time. for His Majesty
| warned his son that "of the making oi
| books there lis no end" Why. X there
/ were no fat royalties for best sellers?
/ Many modern books also lack terminals
| II is trying enough 70 write book
| even when the copyright machine u
working perfectly and the stenographer
| can spell. so what object could any
ancient ecribbler have had II Solomon
had not wisely decrecd that that which
| was written In Palestine should not be
| plagarized In Palestine, though, In
| the absence Of international protection,
II might exhaust the papyrus mills OF
| Egypt as a best gelleT2
| There was another side TO author
ship In those early days. job was an
expert on libel suits, and he chuckled
| oyer the thought Of what he would do
| he and his laWyers--to hts enemies
who dared write all they knew about
| him IN book and circulate 1t In Je"
| rtlgaiem.
| JOB Was a would-be author himself,
but he lacked pull with the publish
| er6~~and many modern writer mas
suffered "boiis" at publishers even al
! job.
| He boiled over at his publishers when
| he said. "Oh that my words were now
| written~ That was before typcwrlters
were rs plentiful AZ today "Oh
| that they were printed In a book"
| One touch of authorship makes The
| whole world Jobs cousin. for every
| body tries 10 write ut least one book
| That IL why everybody Is interested in
| the copyright congress at Rome, Poor
| job found out, away back there, how
hard hearted and mistaken of judg-
| nent are publishers: 1t Is so much
easier 10 write a book than Ia publish
1t. job knew. though he wrote good
stuff"
Pity that the International Copyright
Conference was 10 long In calling q
| meeting 10 encourage authors, In spite
| of 5ol0mon's prejudice against liteFa-
ttre and Jobs rejection slips II II
/, not c0DyrIghtable books that never
come To the last chapter. but the re-
| prints, whose copyright has run out
| like Dickens and other has-beens.
Some authorities say printing had
not been invented on Jobs day, but,
II 10, how did he expect his book t6
be printed" even under a copyright
| law? lie must have lived before hii
time y
All NJ this ancient history gives
background for the International Copy.
right Conference now In session IN tht
Eternal City
| The conference has agreed 'in pfin'
| nipif" that the man who writes any,
thing and GonfeeeeA the crime, 0wns
Il until II Ia published. and then hf
sisula hgld Statutory eopyFjght n