Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-31
Protection for Writers and Musicians
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

Then, when theaterS exhibited these
films they would be required to pay an
additional royalty for the privilege Of
public showing. The theory of this
double demand is that film producing
companies and exhibiting companies
are not always the same; in fact, in
Europe they are seldom the same, al
though in the United States the uro-
ducers have in the last two or three
years largely entered the exhibiting and
theater owning business: But generally.
the world over, the producer merely
makes the film and gets paid for it by
the theater owners who wish to ex-
hibit. That is one complete deal. Then
the theater owner gets paid by the
public's buying seats to witness exhibit
tions. From each separate and complete
business deal the artists believe they
should be allowed royalties.
The international conference at
Budapest expressed what might be
termed a moral Indignation at the
manner in which artistic creation and
thought have been industrialized It is
stated that "a strictly commercial con-
ception of intellectual proprietorship
and industrialization Of thought threat
en- to make simple employees out of au-
thors and to wipe out the results OBJ
tanned by them in the course of the
past century in matters of protection of
their rights"
Changed Conditions Should Be Met.
Not only has the conference thus
taken steps for the better protection ~
new creative works; it has agreed TO 10
into the matter of a revision of older
works in connection with their adapts-
ton to the talking film. Certain pre-
ducers have urged that copyright opfs
granted cannot be expanded to give aAa-
ditional protection. This is answered
by the writers and composers with the
argument that the sound picture rerra-
sentS new departure, a new use not
in existence and perhaps not even ex-
pected when original copyrights were
issued, and that the creative artists con-
cerned have a right to an adaptation Of
protective laws to changed conditions.
AS matters now stand with the
United States outside the International
Copyright Union, European authors do
not have direct and effective means
of imposing their desires on American
motion picture producers. However, the
European societies are urging solidarity
upon each other and the suggestion is
advanced that species of boycott of
American producers be resorted to until
they agree to give the same recognition
to the rights of foreign authors which
they enjoy in their own countries.
First Contracts Tempting.
There is a strong temptation for an
author, especially young author pro-
ducing his first work, to take almost
anything in the way of contract Of
fered him by producers. Indeed, there
is among American producing COM
panies tendency to put authors on a
continuing contract or salary basis
which gives the company the right to
exploit the artists entire output. This
the Europeans regard as a pernicious
system and are urging members of au-
thors' and composers societies to ac-
cept no such terms. but sell their pro-
auctions as separate entities. Such a
system, for one thing, >does not Law the
writer open to orders to produce die
tated work to fit some purely CONNER
cial scheme inimical to the interest Of
the purest art.
Producers of creative work in the
literary and musical fields always have
borne the reputation of being poor BUSH
ness men, poor negotiators.