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
Titles are rather to be considered as trade-marks, which may be
registered in the United States under the Trade-Mark acts of 1905-6, and
protected by the statutory penalties, or may be protected on general
principles of equity. This doctrine was early upheld by the English
courts, especially in regard to periodicals, as in the titles of _Bell's
Life_ and the _London Journal_, and again came before the courts in the
important case of Weldon _v._ Dicks, as to the specific title of the
novel "Trial and triumph," in which case, in 1878, Vice-Chancellor
Malins enjoined quite another book under the same title, though the
title was chosen in ignorance of the first book and in entire good
faith. So, also, as to the title "Splendid misery," used by Miss Braddon
in 1879, Sir James Bacon, in the Chancery suit of Dicks _v._ Yates, in
1881, was inclined to support the claim of C. H. Hazelwood, who had used
the title in 1874, until it was shown that a forgotten novelist named
Purr had used it in 1801, so that it had become, in a measure, common
property.
{Sidenote: "Chatterbox" cases}
In the several American "Chatterbox" cases, Judge Wheeler's early
decision restraining the use of this "name or word, or any name or word
substantially identical therewith," in or upon any juveniles of the
general character of the English book of that name, was followed by
Judge Shipman, in 1887, in Estes _v._ Worthington, in the U. S. Circuit
Court in New York, who also held that the word "Chatterbox" had become
"a well-known trade-mark designating a well-known series," published in
a distinctive style and enjoined the rival publication, simulating the
external style, but of different contents. These decisions previous to
1891, resting on principles of trade-mark and not of copyright,
indirectly assured a measure of international copyright.
{Sidenote: Other title decisions}
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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