486
DOMESTIC.
2
As I understand, nothing has yet come of either of these agreements (see the Foreign Office letter of the 3rd November last to Messrs. Macmillan). It is assumed in that letter that under the most-favoured-nation clause English subjects will have the same rights as Americans and Japanese may get under these Agreements. It may be a question, therefore, whether it is worth while to endeavour to obtain any further agreement for Great Britain until there is some further reason to believe that these two existing Agreements will be carried out.
It is to be observed that the provision in the American Agreement to the effect that "it is understood that Chinese subjects shall be at liberty to make, print, and sell original translations into Chinese of any works written or of maps compiled by a citizen of the United States" will practically prevent any copyright being obtained by authors in the translation of their works into Chinese. By the Japanese Agreement it is proposed to establish registration offices where copyrights held by Japanese in books, &c., written in the Chinese language and prepared for the use of Chinese people may be registered in accordance with Regulations not yet made. It seems very desirable that we should see any draft Regulations that may be framed under these provisions. It is possible, for example, that they might enable Japanese to register as their own copyrights in any translation of an English work.
It might be of service to His Majesty's Minister at Peking to furnish him with copies of the Japanese Copyright Law and the Berne Convention and Additional Act. If the Chinese Regulations followed the lines of this law, and China were then to join the Union, there would be little ground for complaint. Failing China joining the Union the Regulations might give British authors the same privileges as Chinese authors.
(Signed) C. N. DALTON,
June 16, 1906.
ice or Individual.
Foreign
1906
July
t previous Paper.
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(Subject.)
Louth West China
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pruit of ash four lehers as to "Burmah frontier worth of Cap. 35-02":
(Minutes.)
Woo here wit the sending out this series.
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ubsequent Paper.