The Globe. THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 1876.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 609, 1 June 1876, Page 2

The Globe. THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 1876.

If there is one question more than another which should become one of the measures to be brought before the House of Eepresentatives at the forthcoming session it is that of copyright. The Ordinance touching it being exceedingly short, and only mentioning the word book, and the Act in relation to newspapers defining nothing as to the copyright of their contents. This is very much to be regretted, as no matter what price has been paid by the

proprietors of journals for contributions of original matter, nor how much time and trouble has been taken to gather particulars for those articles, when once published in a newspaper they are considered to be public property. How far the law would bear out this view were a case brought before the Supreme Court we are not in a position to say, but we are in possession of legal opinions to that effect. The Australasian, a Victorian weekly paper, pays large sums for the exclusive right of the publication of certain literary matter in that colouy, and the Victorian Copyright Act is a protection against any piracy on the part of other publishers. It is our belief that the like amount of justice should be given to the journals of New Zealand, and that all original matter published therein should be secured to them as copyripht. We do not carry our views so far as to wish to prohibit the re-publication of local news, or the printing of extracts, but we think in either case that the title of the newspaper from which they are taken should be quoted. At the present time we have but to look through the various exchanges to see a repetition of information, which would be quite surprising to those not familiar with the contents of the issues of our colonial publications. There is nothing so well adapted to promote a proper understanding, as a concise definition as to th i legal rights of authors and publishers. It is a known fact that the want of an international Copyright Act between England and the United States has been the means of keeping hundreds of American writers from the field of literature, on account of the cheapness with which the publishers' in the States can reproduce the works of standard English authors. We regard the matter as one which should be looked after at as early a date as possible, and consider that it is of sufficient importance to call for the attention of the Ministry, who may, we trust, find leisure to introduce a Bill to provide for the right of copyright in this colony. We advocate the adoption of the principle of protection as regards the right of publishers for what they have paid for, or acquired by other legitimate means; be the publishers the authors or those who purchase from them. If a person issues a book or pamphlet, he is protected, but if the same amount of capital is expended for the newspaper article, then it becomes the property of every one. We do not think that this is giving fair play to the Press, and hope to see an early provision made to remedy the evil.