Abstract

The Royal Commission on Copyright, which reported in 1878, had the formidable task of scrutinizing the copyright regime from fundamental principles to minor details — on an international scale as well as on a domestic. The resulting Report and Minutes informed copyright debates in their time and decades after; they are now valuable resources for today’s copyright scholars and book historians. This article addresses some modern accounts of the Commission in the academic literature on copyright and publishing history. In particular, it analyzes the contribution of Sir Louis Mallet, placing it in the context of his broader economic views and free trade ideology in order to consider critically the uses that recent works of copyright history have made of Mallet’s Dissent and the Commission Report. (This piece won the 2013 ATRIP Essay Competition).

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.