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| author | pgww <pgww@lists.pglaf.org> | 2025-09-03 11:22:01 -0700 |
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| committer | pgww <pgww@lists.pglaf.org> | 2025-09-03 11:22:01 -0700 |
| commit | 0f4ca30621209ab492741478056913c90c71a45e (patch) | |
| tree | 250c815bb8343661936ed2cab286efaa11d922b0 /76806-h | |
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diff --git a/76806-h/76806-h.htm b/76806-h/76806-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..768e32e --- /dev/null +++ b/76806-h/76806-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,435 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html> +<html lang="en"> +<head> + <meta charset="UTF-8"> + <title> + The law of copyright | Project Gutenberg + </title> + <link rel="icon" href="images/cover.jpg" type="image/x-cover"> + <style> + +body { + margin-left: 10%; + margin-right: 10%; +} + +h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { + text-align: center; + clear: both; +} + +p { + margin-top: .51em; + text-align: justify; + margin-bottom: .49em; +} + +.p2 {margin-top: 2em;} +.p4 {margin-top: 4em;} +.p6 {margin-top: 6em;} + +hr { + width: 33%; + margin-top: 2em; + margin-bottom: 2em; + margin-left: 33.5%; + margin-right: 33.5%; + clear: both; +} + +hr.tb {width: 15%; margin-left: 0; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0;} +hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} +@media print { hr.chap {display: none; visibility: hidden;} } + +hr.double-line-top { + width: 20em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; + margin-top: 4em; + margin-bottom: 0em; + height: 3px; + border-top: 2px solid black; + border-right: 0px solid white; + border-left: 0px solid white; + border-bottom: 2px solid black; + background-color: transparent; +} + +/* eBookmaker applies additional CSS after my CSS. This includes */ +/* adding "padding-top: 1em;" to the definition of the h2 class. */ +/* This affects the spacing of the top double rule from the h2 */ +/* text that follows so compensate for it in epub formats only. */ + +.x-ebookmaker hr.double-line-top { + margin-bottom: -1.2em; +} + +hr.double-line-bottom { + width: 20em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; + margin-top: 0em; + height: 3px; + border-top: 2px solid black; + border-right: 0px solid white; + border-left: 0px solid white; + border-bottom: 2px solid black; + background-color: transparent; +} + +div.chapter {page-break-before: always;} +h2.nobreak {page-break-before: avoid;} + +table { + margin-left: auto; + margin-right: auto; +} + +.pagenum { + position: absolute; + left: 92%; + font-size: small; + text-align: right; + font-style: normal; + font-weight: normal; + font-variant: normal; + text-indent: 0; +} + +blockquote { + margin-top: 0; + margin-bottom: 0; + margin-left: 5%; + margin-right: 10%; +} + +.center {text-align: center;} + +.right {text-align: right;} + +.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} + +figcaption {font-weight: bold;} +figcaption p {margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: .2em; text-align: inherit;} + +img { + max-width: 100%; + height: auto; +} +img.w100 {width: 100%;} + +.figcenter { + margin: auto; + text-align: center; + page-break-inside: avoid; + max-width: 100%; +} + +.footnote {margin-left: 3%; margin-right: 17%; font-size: 0.9em;} + +.footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 88%; text-align: right;} + +.fnanchor { + vertical-align: super; + font-size: .8em; + text-decoration: + none; +} + +.x-ebookmaker .figcenter { margin: 0 auto 0 auto; } + +p.drop-cap { + text-indent: -4px; +} + +p.drop-cap:first-letter { + float: left; + font-size: 260%; + line-height: 0.7em; + margin-top: 0.09em; + margin-right: 5px; + margin-left: 4px; +} + +/* Keep the drop caps for epub3 and KF8. */ +/* */ +/* The changes below will only apply to epub2 */ +/* and mobi. */ + +.x-ebookmaker-2 p.drop-cap { + text-indent: 0; +} + +.x-ebookmaker-2 p.drop-cap:first-letter { + float: none; + font-size: 100%; + line-height: 1em; + margin: 0; +} + +p { text-indent: 1em; } + +div.footnote p { + text-indent: 0em; +} + +.fnanchor { + vertical-align: super; + font-size: .6em; + text-decoration: none; +} + +p { text-indent: 1em; } + +.b1 { margin-bottom: 1em; } +.b2 { margin-bottom: 2em; } +.b4 { margin-bottom: 4em; } +.b6 { margin-bottom: 6em; } + +.pagenum { font-family: serif; } + +.illowe25 { width: 25em; } + +.small { font-size: small; } + +.bold { font-weight: bold; } + +.noindent { text-indent: 0em; } + +a { text-decoration: none; } + + </style> +</head> +<body> +<div style='text-align:center'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 76806 ***</div> + +<figure class="figcenter illowe25 x-ebookmaker-drop"> + <a rel="nofollow" href="images/cover.jpg"> + <img class="w100" src="images/cover.jpg" alt=""> + </a> +</figure> + +<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> + +<p class="noindent center bold p4 b4" style="font-size: 180%;"> +THE<br> +LAW OF COPYRIGHT +</p> + +<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> + +<div class="chapter"> +<h1 class="p2 b2"> +<span style="font-size: 140%; letter-spacing: 0.15em;">THE LAW</span><br> +<span style="display: inline-block; font-size: 90%; margin-top: 0.1em;">OF</span><br> +<span style="display: inline-block; font-size: 140%; margin-top: 0.1em;">COPYRIGHT</span> +</h1> + +<p class="noindent center p4">BY</p> + +<p class="noindent center b1" style="font-size: 200%; margin-top: 0.5em;">William Wordsworth</p> + +<p class="noindent center p4 b4"><span style="font-size: 80%;">LONDON</span><br> +PRINTED FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION<br> +<span style="font-size: 80%;">1916</span> +</p> +</div> + +<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> +<div class="chapter"> + +<p><span class="pagenum">[5]</span></p> + + <hr class="double-line-top"> + <h2 class="nobreak"> + PREFATORY NOTE. + </h2> + <hr class="double-line-bottom"> +</div> + +<p class="drop-cap">THE Copyright Act referred to by Wordsworth in the +following document was presented to the House of +Commons for the first time on <i>April 18th, 1838</i>, the day +upon which the poet addressed his open letter to Serjeant +Talfourd.</p> + +<p>The letter appeared in <cite>The Morning Post</cite> of <i>April 23rd, 1838</i>, +and had apparently escaped all notice until I chanced upon it +recently when searching a file of the paper for any stray writing +of Wordsworth’s.⁠<a id="FNanchor_1_1" href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> Prefixed to the text of the letter was the +following editorial comment:⁠—</p> + +<blockquote> +<p>“<em>We feel very sincere pleasure in having been selected +as the medium for giving to the public Mr. Wordsworth’s +sentiments concerning Serjeant Talfourd’s proposed Bill +for the amendment of the law of copyright. It is a source +of additional gratification to us that the opinions of such +a man as Mr. Wordsworth are so completely in accordance +with those we have already on several occasions endeavoured +to impress on the attention of our readers.</em>”</p> +</blockquote> + +<p><span class="pagenum">[6]</span></p> + +<p>When he applied himself to the composition of the present +letter, Wordsworth was for the second time employing his pen +in support of Talfourd’s Bill. An earlier letter, dated <i>April 12th, +1838</i>, addressed to the Editor of <cite>The Kendal Mercury</cite>, had +appeared in the columns of that paper on <i>April 16th, 1838</i>, +over the pseudonymous initials “A. B.” This earlier letter is +already well known, and is included in the <cite>Prose Works of +William Wordsworth</cite>, edited by William Knight, 1896, Vol. ii, +pp. 375–382. Its successor, now rescued from its obscurity in +a dusty file of an old newspaper, should henceforth find a +place beside it.</p> + +<p><span style="margin-left: 10em;">T. J. W.</span></p> + +<p class="b2"> + <i>25, Heath Drive,</i><br> + <span style="margin-left: 2.0em;"><i>Hampstead, N.W.</i></span> +</p> + +<hr class="tb"> +<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_1_1" href="#FNanchor_1_1" class="label">[1]</a> +In view of the number of contributions made by Wordsworth to <cite>The Morning +Post</cite> (among which <cite>The Convict</cite>, which brightened its pages on December 14th, +1797, is by far the most important) it is curious to recall the following statement +which occurs in a letter addressed by him to Daniel Stuart:⁠—</p> + +<blockquote> +<p>“<i>I am quite certain that nothing of mine ever appeared in ‘The Morning +Post,’ except a very, very few sonnets upon political subjects, and one poem +called ‘The Farmer of Tilsbury Vale,’ but whether this appeared in ‘The +Morning Post’ or ‘The Courier,’ I do not remember.</i>” [The poem cited did +appear in <cite>The Morning Post</cite> on July 21st, 1800.]</p> +</blockquote> +</div> + +<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> +<div class="chapter"> + +<p><span class="pagenum">[7]</span></p> + + <hr class="double-line-top"> + <h2 class="nobreak"> + THE LAW OF COPYRIGHT. + </h2> + <hr class="double-line-bottom"> +</div> + +<p class="noindent right" style="font-size:110%; margin-right: 1em; margin-bottom: 0em;"> + <span class="smcap">Rydal Mount</span>,   <br> + <i>April 18th, 1838</i>.<br> + <br> +</p> + +<p class="noindent" style="font-size:110%;"><span class="smcap">My Dear Sir</span>,</p> + +<p>A strong opposition, which has manifested itself by +public meetings and petitions to the House of Commons, +having started up among printers, publishers, and others +to your Bill for amending the law of copyrights, and no +other like counter-movement being made by authors on +their part, it has been suggested to me, from quarters +entitled to great respect, that it might be of service if, +along with a most distinguished literary friend, I should +present a petition to Parliament, praying that the Bill may +pass, or at least one in favour of its principle. This compliment +has no doubt been paid me as one among the +oldest of living writers, and one therefore whose heirs +must, in course of nature, be injured sooner than those of +younger men, if the proposed measure be rejected. You +will not be surprised if I feel some scruple in taking a step, +though so well recommended, on account of an aversion to +appear prominently in any public question, and because I +am loth to think so unfavourably of Parliament as to deem +that it requires petitions from authors as a ground for granting +them a privilege, the justice of which is so obvious. I +<span class="pagenum">[8]</span> +cannot bring myself to suppose that the mere shadows of +argument advanced by printers and publishers against the +claims of a class to whom they owe the respectability of +their condition, if not their very existence, should avail +with any intelligent and disinterested assembly. Yet +further am I averse thus to petition Parliament, because I +would not ask as an individual suppliant, or with a single +associate, what in equity I consider to be the <em>right</em> of a +class, and for a much longer period than that defined in +your Bill—for ever. Such right, as you have stated in +your admirable speech, was acknowledged by the common +law of England; and let them who have cried out so +loudly against the extension of the term as is now proposed +show cause why that original right should not be +restored. The onus clearly rests with them to do so; but +they have not attempted it, and are glad to take shelter +under the statute law as it now stands, which is a composition +or compromise between two opinions; the extreme +point of one being, that, by giving his thoughts to the +world, an author abandons all right to consider the vehicle +as private property; and of the other, that he has the right +in perpetuity, that descends to his heirs, and is transferable +to those to whom he or they may assign it.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum">[9]</span></p> + +<p>This right I hold to be more deeply inherent in that +species of property than in any other, though I am aware +that many persons, perceiving wherein it differs from +acquisitions made in trade and commerce, &c., have contended +that the law in respect to literature ought to remain +upon the same footing as that which regards the profits of +mechanical inventions and chemical discoveries; but that +this is an utter fallacy might easily be proved.</p> + +<p>From the considerations above stated I decline to +petition, as suggested, and content myself, in the silence +of others better entitled to speak, with this public declaration +of my judgment, so that at least, my dear Sir, you may +not be liable to be treated as a volunteer intruding without +wish or sanction openly expressed by any one of the +class whose rights and interests you have so much to your +honour stepped forward to maintain. Here this letter +shall close, its purpose being answered, for no general +arguments from me, and no statement of facts belonging +to my own case, and which have come to my knowledge +with respect to my illustrious friends Coleridge, Scott, +Southey, and others, would avail to produce conviction +where that has not been effected by your unrivalled speech +made upon your first introduction of the Bill into the +<span class="pagenum">[10]</span>House of Commons, and by reasonings which have lately +been set forth with great ability by writers in the public +journals, who were more at liberty to enter into details +than you could be while treating the subject before Parliament.</p> + +<p>Should your Bill be overborne, which I cannot allow +myself to fear, by the interested opposition now at work, +justice, nevertheless, sooner or later, must triumph; and +at all events the respect and gratitude which authors feel +towards you and your coadjutors upon this occasion will +be cherished by them to the last hour of their lives.</p> + +<p class="noindent"> + <span style="margin-left: 4em;">I have the honour to be,</span><br> + <span style="margin-left: 5em;">My dear Sir,</span><br> + <span style="margin-left: 7em;">Faithfully yours,</span><br> + <span style="margin-left: 5.5em;"><span class="smcap">William Wordsworth</span>.</span><br> + <br><br> + <span style="margin-left: 2.0em;"><i>To</i></span><br> + <span class="smcap">Serjeant Talfourd</span>, M.P. +</p> + +<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> + +<div class="chapter"> +<p class="noindent center p6 b6"> + <span class="smcap small">London:</span><br> + <span class="small">Printed for THOMAS J. WISE, Hampstead, N.W.</span><br> + <br> + <span class="small"><i>Edition limited to Thirty Copies.</i></span> +</p> +</div> + +<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> + +<div style='text-align:center'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 76806 ***</div> +</body> +</html> + diff --git a/76806-h/images/cover.jpg b/76806-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..7327c27 --- /dev/null +++ b/76806-h/images/cover.jpg |
