Mr. CURRIER. That would prevent any boy or girl in the country who has bought records and who is using them to-day from using them. Immediately, I suppose, a warning circular would go out that they must not use those records and cylinders that they had bought in good faith. It does not seem to me that we could pass any such legislation as that. A GENTLEMAN. Mr. Chairman, that is exactly the position of a great many of the interests involved and exactly the position on which we wish to be heard here to-day. Mr. CURRIER. I do not think you need spend much time in talking about subsisting copyrights. Mr. BURKAN. The intent of this act is to make it apply to compositions copyrighted after this act goes into effect. Mr. CURRIER. I understand that another section provides that; but it must be in conflict with this section if the courts should hold as Mr. Fuller thinks they may. Mr. BURKAN. But the amendment to section 3 should be that the devices and contrivances mentioned in subdivision (_g_) shall apply only to compositions copyrighted after this act shall have gone into effect, and say nothing about subsisting copyright. Mr. CHANEY. It can be readily modified to suit that. There is not any question that we do not want to make it retroactive. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Putnam, is Mr. Davis here now? Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Davis is here. Mr. Davis, it is necessary to know how the hour assigned to particular opponents of the music provision, or a group of them, is to be apportioned, and whether the statement that you are to submit is part of that or not. They understand that it is distinct from the group of statements by them, and they also state that they understood that you understood that, and that your statement would be brief, something like fifteen minutes. I ask in behalf of the Chairman as to this understanding. Whom do you represent? Mr. DAVIS. Inventors as a class of their own, and distinct from manufacturers. Mr. PUTNAM. No particular establishment? Mr. DAVIS. No, sir. Mr. PUTNAM. And no particular association? Mr. DAVIS. No, sir. The CHAIRMAN. How much time do you wish, Mr. Davis? Mr. DAVIS. About 20 minutes. The CHAIRMAN. You may proceed, Mr. Davis. STATEMENT OF G. HOWLETT DAVIS, ESQ. The CHAIRMAN. Will you not state your name and who you represent? Mr. DAVIS. My name is G. Howlett Davis. I have been an inventor during all of my majority and represent inventors as a class. I hope to show how the passage of this act will, first, discourage invention; second, restrict patent grants already held by inventors; third, provide authority to confiscate an inventor's physical property; fourth, to abrogate the inventor's constitutional rights, and, fifth, to create a monopoly which would be practically controlled by a few to the detriment of inventors and the public. Of course, there are a good many subjects to take up here in the limited time allowed me, and I am willing to take them up in any order you may designate.