Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-31

Authors and composers of the prin-
ctpal nations of the world have just
made fresh bid for solidarity in the
protection of property rights IN theiI
productions and with special references
| to the motion picture and the talkie
Creating property which in many re-
spects is intangible, writers and COM
posers have always encountered diff
culties in protecting themselves.
Plagiarism long has been recognized
as an invasion of rights, and the Law
provides for the prevention or the pun
lshment of infringen1ents of copyright
However, the invasion of the original
artists property rights often Is complete
before 1T has been detected. Damages
are difficult to assess and plagiarism
hard to prove. The fact That writers
nave produced almost identical works
and that composers. have written almost
identical tunes in entire innocence of
each others works raises that reason
able doubt which often makes courts
lenient with offenders.
The step which has just been taken
Is the formulation of set of rules
governing the transfer of property
rights In works Of art in the literary
and musical fields, with especial refer
ence to the motion picture industry.
The international Federation of Au-
thors and Composers Societies has
been meeting at Budapest, and the wide
representation indicates that the writ
ers mean business. Delegates attended
from Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark,
Great Britain, Finland, France, Ger
many, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Norway,
Poland, Rumania, Spain, Sweden,
Czechoslovakia, Jueoslavia and the
United states. 1t is believed to have
been the most international congress of
writer's and composers ever held.
The rise of the talking picture
prompted action by these creators of
artistic work. Motion picture scenarios
in the days of the silent Aim often we're
completely worked over during produc-
ton and bore little resemblance to the
original work. They pretended, in the
frst place, to be little more than skel-
etons to guide visual action. With the
advent of the talkie, however, espe-
ctally when accompanied as practically
always, by musical compositions, a
much more pretentious work of art
was produced. The author and COM
poser now do a finished job. The must
cal score and nbretto may be taken
by any director and the finished pro-
duction made, as In the case of an
opera score or a play.
Importance Of Property Rights.
In other words, there is a more def
mite property created, having a greater
value. Now that the motion picture in
dustry has grown to such magnitude,
with millions of dollars invested, the
Importance of these property rights has
greatly increased. The need of protec-
ton has, therefore, grown greater on
the one hand and the temptation to
piracy by producers on the other.
At the congress resolutions were
adopted urging the United States to
enter the. international Copyright
Union, or Bern Convention. Nearly all
of the European countries and those
of South America are signatories, and
this gives mutual protection.
The most revolutionary demand
agreed upon by the writer's and COM
posers provides for a double source of
collecting royalties on works. They re-
solved that the sale of scenario TO a
reproducing company be restricted
merely to such production. Royalties
would be demanded for this right.