The bookfellow : the Australasian review and journal of the Australasian book trade

Call Number
Nf 820.5 A BOO
Created/Published
Sydney : Bookfellow, 1911-[1925?]
Issue
Vol. 1 No. 8 (1 July, 1912)
Images
28
Notes
Continuous pagination, includes trade supplement in between pages 180 & 181.
View Catalogue

Text

TRADE EDITION.  

The Bookfellow  

THE AUSTRALASIAN REVIEW.  

MONTHLY.—VoI. 1., No. 8.  

JULY 1, 1912.  

Registered at the General Post Office, Sydney, for transmission by post as newspaper.  

YEARLY: 6s. 6d.  

in Advance.  

REVIEWS.  

THE LAW OF COPYRIGHT  

by G. S. Robertson.  

(Oxford University Press; 10s. 6d. net.).  

The object of this book is to explain  

the British Copyright Act, 1911, which  

comes into operation to-day, and to dis-  

cuss the effect which the Act will exer-  

cise upon the law hitherto in force. The  

author has fulfilled his task with com-  

petence, and the book is particularly use-  

ful in Australia; since, following British  

changes, an amendment of Australian law  

is required. This amendment was in-  

effectively undertaken in the Bill introduc-  

ed to the Commonwealth Senate during  

the last session of Parliament, and not  

proceeded with.  

The British Act is important. Gene-  

rally, its aim is to harmonise laws pre-  

viously existing and to apply modern  

ideas in new code. It repeals virtually  

the whole result of past legislation, sub-  

stitutes the statute for the former copy-  

right at common law, and establishes  

copyright upon basis liberal to  

authors and better adapted to present  

conditions.  

The New British Act  

The work of British author (includ-  

ing every original literary, dramatic, mu-  

sical or artistic work) is now entitled to  

copyright (that is, the exclusive right  

of production or publication of copies)  

during his lifetime and for fiftv years  

after his death. (The Australian term is  

lifetime and thirty years.) Mechanical  

works, such as gramophone records, cine-  

matograph films, photograph negatives,  

are entitled to copyright for fifty years  

from the date of manufacture. (The  

Australian term, in the case of photo-  

graph, is lifetime and thirty years.)  

There are many other changes of greater  

or less significance.  

he most momentous result of the Brit-  

ish Act, in its application to Australasia,  

is the concession of an independent copy-  

right status to the self-governing British  

Dominions, including the Commonwealth  

and New Zealand. Hitherto the copy-  

right law of the Commonwealth has run  

concurrently with British law, and has  

been applicable only to works published  

in Australia. To Australian authors pub-  

lishing in London, British law has ap-  

plied and this law has been valid in Aus-  

tralia. In New Zealand there has been  

no separate legislation of any importance  

regarding copyright; and New Zealand  

authors come under British law.  

The British Act of 1911 (Sec. 26)  

permits the self-governing Dominions (a)  

to repeal all the enactments of British  

copyright law, including the Act of 1911.  

The alternatives for Australia and New  

Zealand are either (b) to endorse the  

Act (Sec. 25), in which case Australasian  

authors will enjoy British rights; or (c)  

to do nothing, in which case the Act does  

not apply (Sec. 25), and things iwill  

remain as at present (Sec. 25/2) with the  

British difference that publication in Aus-  

tralasia will not give protection beyond  

Australasia (Sec. 26/3).  

The Choice of the Dominions  

As the third course sacrifices much and  

gains nothing, the Australasian choice  

lies between endorsement or repeal of  

the Act. Endorsement is simpler, since  

the inevitable agreement with the British  

Empire and the nations included in the  

Berne Convention will be more easily  

reached by accepting the British law,  

with local modifications (Sec. 27), than  

by inviting Britain to accept an Austra-  

lian or New Zealand law, with reserva-  

tions in favour of Britain. To repeal the  

Act is the way of independence; it in-  

volves separate agreements (Sec. 26/3)  

with Britain; with New Zealand in the  

case of Australia and with Australia in  

the case of New Zealand; with Canada,  

South Africa, and Newfoundland, and  

with other countries in turn.  

Independent status thus creates con-  

siderable obligations, and will bring in  

its train considerable expense. In the  

end, we do not see that at present it will  

confer any advantage upon Australian  

authors that is not gained by simple con-  

formity with Britain, making such local  

modifications as are required. The copy-  

right interests of Australasia, as they con-  

cern both authors and readers, are bound  

up with British interests. The British  

Act carefully maintains British rights in  

the proffered bargain. Whether the self-  

governing Dominions accept or reject the  

Act, if Dominion authors want protection  

in Britain, as of course they do, British  

authors must receive equivalent protec-  

tion in the Dominions.  

We have no doubt that New Zealand  

will choose the easier way, and will pass  

short Act applying the British Act vir-  

tually as it stands. If we correctly inter-  

pret Sections 25 and 26, the case is urgent.  

By the previously existing British law,  

the work of an author resident in New  

Zealand was protected in Britain, in New  

Zealand, in Australia, and in other self-  

governing Dominions. As regards work  

published before this date of Ist July,  

that protection is now extended in the  

terms of the Act; and apparently whether  

entered at Stationers’ Hall, London, or  

not. As regards work published after  

this date, it is protected in New Zealand,  

Australia, and in the other self-governing  

Dominions, but not in Britain or in Brit-  

ish Dominions not self-governing, until  

New Zealand comes to an arrangement  

with Britain in accordance with the Act.  

This is our reading of Section 26/2;  

and the same reasoning applies to Aus-  

tralia. hat is, the former British pro-  

tection is swept away. The new British  

protection is not given until the self-  

governing Dominions accept it by specific  

legislation.. By Section 26/2 former Brit-  

ish legislation, as applied to self-govern-  

ing Dominion, remains “operative in that  

Dominion” only. Therefore former Brit-  

ish protection is inoperative in Britain.  

If this reasoning is found correct by  

legal authority, the Commonwealth Gov-  

ernment should move at once. It is clear  

that the Bill introduced by the Govern-  

ment in the last session of Parliament is  

inadequate. It takes the way of inde-  

pendence, but does not repeal British  

copyright laws repealed by the new Act;  

does not adopt the liberal provisions of  

the British Act; does not include copy-  

right in mechanical records, such as  

gramophone records, or in cinematograph  

films and does not sufficiently provide  

for international copyright. Read in  

conjunction with Sec. 13/2 of the Act of  

J9°s> Bill is contradictory, and its  

implications are vague. This sub-section  

virtually grants copyright only to works  

first printed or performed in Australia.  

That is, it makes condition which is  

unnecessary, and which it is impracticable  

to render effective; it should be repealed.  

Copyright is the concern of authors and  

readers, not of printers-; the American  

example is bad one, and Australia can-  

not apply it without loss to Australian  

authors and readers.  

Cite

Citation options:
Work identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-820609315

APA citation

(1911). The bookfellow : the Australasian review and journal of the Australasian book trade Retrieved August 5, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-820609315

MLA citation

The bookfellow : the Australasian review and journal of the Australasian book trade Sydney: Bookfellow, 1911. Web. 5 August 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-820609315>

Harvard/Australian citation

1911, The bookfellow : the Australasian review and journal of the Australasian book trade Bookfellow, Sydney viewed 5 August 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-820609315

Wikipedia citation

{{Citation
  |
  | title=The bookfellow : the Australasian review and journal of the Australasian book trade.
  | year=1911
  | section=v. ; 32 cm.
  | edition=Trade ed.
  | issue=Vol. 1 No. 8 (1 July, 1912)
  | location=Sydney
  | publisher=Bookfellow
  | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-820609315
  | id=nla.obj-820609315
  | access-date=5 August 2025
  | via=Trove
}}

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