NOTE.--The very obvious error above indicated--line 24, page 14, line 2, page 15--has probably received the attention of the committee. The sentence supplying the connection from the commencement of section 18 now reads: "That the copyright secured by this act shall endure * * * in the case of joint authors, during their joint lives and for fifty years after the death of the last survivor of them." The gap which is left between the dates of death of the first and last dying of the joint authors is uncovered by the copyright under this form of statement. That is, the copyright would lapse upon the death of the first dying--the end of their joint lives--and revive at the death of the last survivor. The correction is obvious. Make the sentence read: "In the case of joint authors, until the death of the last survivor of them and for fifty years thereafter." It is believed that the present term of copyright should not be disturbed unless to shorten it. Twenty-eight years, with a possible extension of fourteen, exceeds the actual life of a great majority of copyrighted publications and leaves the public nothing for its concession of temporary monopoly to the inventor; but it is, perhaps, a fair average, and at least it has caused no serious complaint upon either hand. An exception should, however, be made in respect to any protection which may be given to anyone, whether composer or arranger, with respect to the automatic reproducing devices--such as perforated rolls--associated so closely, as these devices necessarily are, with manufacture as distinguished from publications and with inventions as distinguished from literary or artistic works. The duration of the patents, whose owners must pay tribute to the holders of any form of copyright upon the perforated rolls, are granted only seventeen years' monopoly in which to derive all compensation for their inventions. The copyright protection, if any, granted in any form upon perforated rolls should not exceed the term of patents--seventeen years. _5. Verification of authorship and ownership should be required._--All our copyright laws hitherto have been unaccountably lax in respect to the requirements for making prima facie title to copyright by virtue of authorship or proprietorship. It has only been necessary, and the present bill only makes it necessary, that the applicant for registration under the copyright statute should state, without verification of any sort, that he claims as the author or proprietor, as the case may be. So singularly loose is the requirement that the applicant is not even required to declare that he is the author or proprietor, but only to state that he claims as author.