Copyright: Its History and Its LawBowker, R. R. (Richard Rogers)
History
Copyright: Its History and Its Law
Bowker, R. R. (Richard Rogers)
Copyright -- History; Copyright -- United States -- History
The new British measure as prepared in 1910 included as incident to
copyright the sole right "in the case of a literary, dramatic or musical
work, to make any record, perforated roll, cinematograph film, or other
contrivance by means of which the work may be mechanically performed or
delivered," thus in the simplest fashion completely covering the control
of mechanical reproduction in conformity with the convention of Berlin.
But in the Parliament of 1911 the bill emerged from committee stage with
an elaborate proviso, based on the American precedent, excepting from
the definition of infringement contrivances for the mechanical
reproduction of sounds on (1) proof that the copyright owner has
previously acquiesced in mechanical reproduction, (2) prescribed notice
of intention, and (3) payment of royalty of 2-1/2 or 5 per cent with a
minimum of a halfpenny for each record, or in the case of different
works on the same record, to each copyright proprietor.
{Sidenote: The Berne situation, 1886}
When the international representatives met at Berne in 1886, the
mechanical reproduction of music was confined chiefly if not wholly to
Swiss music-boxes and orchestrions and to hand-organs, of comparatively
little commercial importance; and, possibly with some thought of the
recognition of the hospitality of Switzerland, little emphasis was
placed on the protection of musical composers against mechanical
reproduction of their works. In fact, the final protocol of the Berne
Convention of 1886 contained, as clause 3, the following paragraph: "It
is understood that the manufacture and sale of instruments for the
mechanical reproduction of musical airs which are copyright, shall not
be considered as constituting an infringement of musical copyright."
{Sidenote: Lack of action at Paris, 1896}
Despite strong representations at the congresses of the International
Association for the protection of literary property, held at London in
1890, Neufchatel in 1891, and Milan in 1892, and a vigorous endeavor in
connection with the Paris convention of 1896 to replace this clause, it
was not modified until the convention of Berlin in 1908, in preparation
for which a strong resolution was passed at the congress of the
International Association at Vevey in 1901.
{Sidenote: The Berlin provision, 1908}
With the increasing development of the phonograph and of the mechanical
player, mechanical reproductions became so important a matter to musical
composers and publishers, that much of the discussion in respect to the
amendatory convention of Berlin of 1908 was upon this subject. In the
amended convention, the subject was fully covered by article 13:
"Authors of musical works have the exclusive right to authorize: (1) the
adaptation of these works to instruments serving to reproduce them
mechanically; (2) the public performance of the same works by means of
these instruments.
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