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
In the Chatterbox cases, 1884-1887, previously referred to, the final
decision of Judge Shipman emphasized the view that the use of the title
"Chatterbox" on a similar publication was misleading to the public, thus
bringing both trade-mark law and common law protection to the rescue
against unfair competition.
{Sidenote: Encyclopaedia Britannica cases}
In the series of Encyclopaedia Britannica cases, 1890-1904, the English
publishers Black or their American representatives Scribner sought to
protect in this country the English edition, or an American authorized
edition, under the copyright law previous to 1891, copyrighted articles
by Americans being included, and under common law because of the alleged
fraudulent misuse of the name to mislead the public. In 1893, in Black
_v._ Allen, Judge Townsend held that the use of copyrighted material in
a non-copyright work did not vitiate the copyright, that the American
author was entitled to secure and protect copyright even though the
right to use was assigned to an English house which could not directly
secure copyright, and that the fact of discrepancy in the title of the
copyrighted articles as registered for copyright on separate publication
and deposit and in the cyclopaedia, did not endanger the copyright. In
1904, in Encyclopaedia Britannica Co. _v._ Tribune Association, Judge
Lacombe in the U. S. Circuit Court enjoined condensations of the
copyrighted American articles. But in Black _v._ Ehrich and other cases,
the complainants were not successful in obtaining an injunction against
the use of the title Encyclopaedia Britannica on reprints of
non-copyright material which did not mislead the public.
{Sidenote: Webster Dictionary cases}
In the Webster Dictionary cases in 1890-1909, a long litigation between
the Merriams, as authorized publishers of Webster, and Ogilvie and other
defendants, the courts held that the use of the name Webster or the
title Webster's Dictionary could not be restrained when used in
connection with a reprint of the original Webster Dictionary, then out
of copyright, or otherwise in a manner not likely to mislead the public;
but injunctions were granted and sustained against the use of these
names on dictionaries issued in form so like the Merriam editions as to
deceive the public, or in connection with misleading advertisements or
circulars.
{Sidenote: "Old sleuth" cases}
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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