ARGUMENTS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON PATENTS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, CONJOINTLY WITH THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON PATENTS, ON H.R. 19853, TO AMEND AND CONSOLIDATE THE ACTS RESPECTING COPYRIGHT. JUNE 6, 7, 8, AND 9, 1906. COMMITTEE ON PATENTS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, FIFTY-NINTH CONGRESS. FRANK D. CURRIER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, _Chairman_. SOLOMON R. DRESSER, PENNSYLVANIA. JOSEPH M. DIXON, MONTANA. EDWARD H. HINSHAW, NEBRASKA. ROBERT W. BONYNGE, COLORADO. WILLIAM W. CAMPBELL, OHIO. ANDREW J. BARCHFELD, PENNSYLVANIA. JOHN C. CHANEY, INDIANA. CHARLES McGAVIN, ILLINOIS. WILLIAM SULZER, NEW YORK. GEORGE S. LEGARE, SOUTH CAROLINA. EDWIN Y. WEBB, NORTH CAROLINA. ROBERT G. SOUTHALL, VIRGINIA. JOHN GILL, JR., MARYLAND. EDWARD A. BARNEY, _Clerk_. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1906. Transcriber's Note: Printer's inconsistencies in spelling, punctuation and hyphenation have been retained. In this etext a caret (^) is used to indicate that the character following it is printed as superscript text. ARGUMENTS ON H.R. 19853, TO AMEND AND CONSOLIDATE THE ACTS RESPECTING COPYRIGHT. COMMITTEE ON PATENTS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, _Wednesday, June 6, 1906_. The committee met at 10 o'clock a.m.; at the Senate reading room, Library of Congress, conjointly with the Senate Committee on Patents. Present, Senators Kittredge (chairman), Clapp, Smoot, Foster, and Latimer; Representatives Currier (chairman), Bonynge, Campbell, Chaney, McGavin, Sulzer, and Webb. The CHAIRMAN. We are met to consider Senate bill 6330, relative to the copyright law. We would like to hear first from Mr. Putnam regarding the history of the proposed legislation. STATEMENT OF HERBERT PUTNAM, ESQ., LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS. Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, the origin of this bill is indicated in the message of the President to Congress last December. The passage is brief; let me read it: