The CHAIRMAN. I think it only fair that in your case as well as that of the other gentlemen the time devoted to questions should not be considered as part of your time, and taken out of your time; but I would like to ask one or two questions before you begin. Do you understand that this bill proposes to interfere with existing patent rights? Mr. DAVIS. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Vested rights? Mr. DAVIS. Yes, sir. I shall take that up first, if you please. Senator SMOOT. You mean, then, that section 3 is the section that interferes with them? (Mr. Davis looks for the bill.) Senator SMOOT. If you have not it there, do not bother about looking for it now. Go right on. Mr. DAVIS. I had a marked copy here. Senator SMOOT. We will listen to you when you come to that section, anyhow. The CHAIRMAN. You may proceed, Mr. Davis, and we will not interrupt you during your twenty minutes. Mr. DAVIS. Thank you, sir. I would like to first explain that I am here without counsel and without any previous notice from the Copyright Office, and without invitation from any source whatever. I discovered the existence of the proposed bill by mere accident on Saturday last. I was then notified that a firm which operates under my patents would have to go out of business if this law passed, and would necessarily have to cancel its licenses with me. That concern is the Perforated Music Roll Company, with offices at 25 West Twenty-third street, New York City. I have also just to-day received similar intimation from another concern manufacturing under my patents in Philadelphia, the Electrelle Company, just organized for a million dollars for the manufacture under my patents for reproducing music mechanically. I have been inventing in numerous classes during the last twenty years, including printing presses, typesetting machines, typewriting machines, clocks, stencil duplicating apparatus, etc., but about ten years ago I took up the class of self-playing musical instruments. I recognized that there was a peculiar relation of this art to copyrighted musical compositions, and I saw that in some way whatever devices I might invent for the reproduction of music mechanically might interfere with the composer's rights, because music is a necessary component part of the class of self-playing musical instruments, and you all know that this industry has become one of the greatest of the young industries of the country. You can take up any magazine and you will see many pages filled with descriptions of self-playing musical devices, including phonographs, graphophones, apollos, angeluses, cecilians, pianophones, and a hundred other devices for reproducing music automatically. As far as I am able to ascertain none of these concerns have had notice of this bill, and the two concerns who are operating under my patents not only have had no notice, but have notified me, as before stated, that in case of the passage of the bill they will have to annul their contracts with me.