BRITISH COPYRIGHT LAW.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 881, 29 July 1910, Page 5

BRITISH COPYRIGHT LAW.

EXTENSION OF THE TERM? By Telegraph-Press Association-Copyright. London, July 27. The Copyright Bill provides for copyright during an author's life, and for fifty years afterwards. The present term is for the life of the author and seven years after his death, or for a period of forty-two years, whichever term is the longer. "'

An Imperial Copyright Conference was held m Xondon .in May, and was attended by delegates representing India, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Aewfoundland, and various Departments of tue Imperial Government. ,lhe gathering was.the outcome of a conversation at' the Imperial Conference in 1907: Since then tue old Berne Copyright Convention has been amended by the Berlin Conference of 1903. Tho model term proposed for the- revieed Convention for toe duration of 'protec-' tiou is life and fifty years,' but of the fifteen Governments interested in that proposal only nine haye signified their intention 'of adhering- 'to , 'the' term. Among the Powers outstanding at pve6ent are Germany, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland. . Germany recently took steps to bring her internal law into line with the recommendations of the BerlinConference; but in the German draft law ■framed for that purpose it is proposeu to adhere to the existing term of protection, which is life and thirty years.