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 first article of the Mexico convention formed the signatory states
into "a Union for the purpose of recognizing and protecting the rights
of literary and artistic property," which was defined (art. 2) as
including "books, manuscripts, pamphlets of all kinds, no matter what
subject they may treat of and what may be the number of their pages;
dramatic or melodramatic works; choral music and musical compositions,
with or without words, designs, drawings, paintings, sculpture,
engravings, photographic works; astronomical and geographical globes;
plans, sketches and plastic works relating to geography or geology,
topography or architecture, or any other science; and finally, every
production in the literary and artistic field, which may be published by
any method of impression or reproduction." Copyright was defined (art.
3) as the exclusive right to dispose of the work, to publish, to sell
and translate it or authorize translation, and to reproduce it in any
manner, in whole or in part.
{Sidenote: Indispensable condition}
The "indispensable" condition of copyright was (art. 4) a petition from
the author or his representative to the proper office, presumably of his
own government, with two deposit copies, and if he desired recognition
in other countries, with additional copies for each country designated,
which copies were to be forwarded to the respective governments
accompanied by a copy of the certificate of registration. Authors were
secured (art. 5) in each country the rights granted by their own
government within the term of protection of the country of origin--in
works published in installments, the term of copyright to date from the
publication of each part. The country of origin was defined (art. 6) as
that of first publication, or in case of simultaneous publication, that
having the shortest period of protection. The name or acknowledged
pseudonym on a work (art. 9) was accepted as indication of the author
except on proof to the contrary.
{Sidenote: Special provisions}
Authorized translations or those of non-protected works (art. 7) could
be copyrighted as original works, but not to the exclusion of other
versions of the latter. Newspaper articles might be reproduced (art. 8)
on acknowledgment of source and author's name, if given; addresses
before legislative assemblies, court or public meetings (art. 10) might
be freely reproduced, and extracts made (art. 11) in publications
devoted to public instruction or chrestomathy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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