Copyright

exclusive ownership accorded an author or artist, corresponding to the patent of an inventor. The United States copyright office is in charge of the Librarian of Congress. The exclusive right to use, multiply, or sell a book may be had by sending this office two copies of the work with a recording fee of fifty cents. The proposed title may be protected by filing it in advance. United States copyright is issued for twenty-eight years, and may be renewed by the author or his heirs for an additional fourteen years. Copyright is designed to protect not only books, but a map, chart, musical composition, print, cut, etching, engraving, photograph, drawing, chromo, statue, statuary, or any art design, including designs for decorative articles such as tiles, or articles of pottery or metal. The registrar of copyrights has authority to reject any work which he may deem to lack originality, or to be an infringement of the copyright of another. Over 90,000 titles are registered every year, with about 5,000 rejections. It is illegal to print a copyrighted article without the author's permission. Like any other theft, it renders the publisher liable to punishment; but if an author neglects to copyright his work he cannot recover damages.

International copyright arrangements have been entered into between a number of leading countries, whereby a citizen of one country may secure a copyright in all the others. Before the days of international copyright, American publishers were severely criticised, by English authors especially, for pirating, as it was called, American editions without making the European author compensation. Foreign governments issue long copyrights. In Great Britain the term is for the author's life and seven years after; but, in any case, the term is to be not less than forty-two years. Colombia and Spain issue copyrights for the author's life and eighty years after; Belgium, Norway, Russia, Ecuador, and Peru, for the author's life and fifty years afterward; Italy, eighty years and the author's life,--in any case, not less than the author's life and forty years; France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Japan, for author's life and thirty years after; Brazil, Sweden, and Roumania, for author's life and ten years after.

The copyright law of the U. S. requires that a printed copy of the title of the book, map, chart, dramatic or musical composition, engraving, cut, print, photograph, or chromo, or a description of the painting, drawing, statue, statuary, or model or design, or a work of the fine arts, for which copyright is desired, must be delivered to the Librarian of Congress, or deposited in the mail, within the United States, prepaid, addressed "Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C." This must be done on or before day of publication in this or any foreign country. The printed title required may be a copy of the title-page of such publications as have title-pages. In other cases the title must be printed expressly for copyright entry, with name of claimant of copyright. The style of type is immaterial, and the print of a typewriter will be accepted. Blank forms of application are furnished. The legal fee for recording each copyright claim is 50 cents. Express orders, money orders, and currency only taken for fees. No postage stamps received.

Not later than the day of publication in this country or abroad, two complete copies of the best edition of each book or other article must be delivered at the office of the Librarian of Congress, or deposited in the mail within the United States, addressed "Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C." to perfect the copyright. The freight or postage must be prepaid. Books must be printed from type set in the United States or plates made therefrom. Without the deposit of copies required the copyright is void, and a penalty of $25 is incurred. No copy is required to be deposited elsewhere. The law requires one copy of each new edition wherein any substantial changes are made to be deposited with the Librarian of Congress.

A copyright upon periodicals or composite works covers each part as well as the whole. The following works are subject to copyright: