International copyright

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About this book

George Haven Putnam approaches copyright as a matter of labor, trade, and fairness. In this address to the New York Free-Trade Club, he argues that authors deserve the fruits of their work even when their books circulate abroad. His starting point is political economy: writing produces something of value, and its treatment should be examined through production, supply, demand, and the laws of trade.

The argument moves from English legal history to proposals before the United States Congress. Putnam considers the Statute of Anne and later court decisions, then traces disputes over protection for foreign authors. Bills associated with Baldwin and Cox bring practical conditions into view, including American manufacture, citizen publishers, and the use of foreign printing plates. These details give the address a specific focus: how a principle of ownership might become a workable arrangement between countries.