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.United States. Congress. House. Committee on Patents
History
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.
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Patents
Copyright -- United States
Mr. CHANEY. Just take the other bill.
Mr. PUTNAM. Section 30 of the bill.
Mr. CHANEY. Page 24 of the Senate bill.
Mr. CURRIER. Now, strike out all after the words "United States," in
the twenty-fifth line, down to the fourth section.
Mr. OLIN. I am now speaking merely for the publishers, whom I do
represent generally, and not for these other associations.
Mr. CURRIER. I was simply asking if the people whom you represent
would make serious objection to that amendment.
Mr. OLIN. Speaking only for the publishers, I think they would. I
think they would wish to be heard fully on that before any such change
was made.
Mr. CURRIER. Right in that connection, let me call your attention to
the first subdivision, beginning on line 13, which deals with the
importation for an individual.
Mr. OLIN. On what page?
Mr. CURRIER. Page 24, line 13.
Mr. OLIN. Yes.
Mr. CURRIER. We would understand, would we not, that that was a
practical prohibition of importations by individuals?
Mr. OLIN. No, sir.
Mr. CURRIER. Do you imagine that a book would ever be imported by an
individual under that provision?
Mr. OLIN. I should think they would be habitually, and to a much
larger extent than at present; and I will give you my reasons for it.
Mr. CURRIER. Would it not be a considerable inconvenience to secure
the permission of the proprietor of the copyright?
Mr. OLIN. I should think none at all.
Mr. CURRIER. We would be glad to hear you on that, because it occurred
to me that that was an absolute prohibition, in effect.
Mr. OLIN. I am glad to have my attention called to this, because this
is a matter where we have not been able to make any compromise. There
are no representatives of the public who could discuss such a
compromise, and we come before the committee to submit it to their
judgment as to its fairness in the first instance.
What I want to call the attention of the committee to is that the
effect of this is simply to put the business back, as to importing one
copy, to the condition that existed before 1891 as to importing all
copies. We would be very glad, the copyright proprietors would be very
glad, and the public would be very glad if it could altogether go back
to that condition; that is, if you say books shall not be imported
without the consent of the copyright proprietor. The copyright
proprietor would then, as he did before, import books and put them
into the trade and sell them freely.
Mr. CURRIER. Yes; the proprietor would import, but I think, in answer
to an inquiry a few moments ago, you said that under the former law
individuals did not import.
Mr. OLIN. No; but they did not need to.
Mr. CURRIER. Under that provision beginning on line 18, while the
proprietor might import, do you think an individual would ever
import--go to the trouble of getting the consent of the proprietor?
Mr. OLIN. I think the practical working of that would be just this----
Mr. CURRIER. I am only asking for information.
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