3 Will. IV. c. 15.- An Act to amend the Laws c. 15. 54 Geo. III. WHEREAS by an Act passed in the fifty-fourth year of the 3 W. IV. reign of his late Majesty King George the Third, intituled "An Act to amend the several Acts for the Encouragement of Learning, by securing the Copies and Copyright c. 156. of Printed Books to the Authors of such Books, or their Assigns," it was amongst other things provided and enacted, that from and after the passing of the said act the author of any book or books composed, and not printed or published, or which should thereafter be composed and printed and published, and his assignee or assigns, should have the sole liberty of printing and reprinting such book or books for the full term of twenty-eight years, to commence from the day of first publishing the same, and also, if the author should be living at the end of that period, for the residue of his natural life: and whereas it is expedient to extend the provisions of the said act; be it therefore enacted by the King's most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual and temporal, and commons, in this present parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, That from The author and after the passing of this act the author of any trage- of any dramatic piece dy, comedy, play, opera, farce, or any other dramatic shall have piece or entertainment, composed, and not printed and as his propublished by the author thereof or his assignee, or which sole liberty hereafter shall be composed, and not printed or published senting it, by the author thereof or his assignee, or the assignee of or causing such author, shall have as his own property the sole lib- presented, at any place erty of representing, or causing to be represented, at any of dramatic place or places of dramatic entertainment whatsoever, in entertainany part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in the isles of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey, or in any part of the British dominions, any such production as aforesaid, not printed and published by the author thereof or his assignee, and shall be deemed and taken to be the perty the of repre it to be re ment. 3 W. IV. proprietor thereof; and that the author of any such proc. 15. duction, printed and published within ten years before the passing of this act by the author thereof or his assignee, or which shall hereafter be so printed and published, or the assignee of such author, shall, from the time of passing this act, or from the time of such publication respectively, until the end of twenty-eight years from the day of such first publication of the same, and also, if the author or authors, or the survivor of the authors, shall be living at the end of that period, during the residue of his natural life, have as his own property the sole liberty of representing, or causing to be represented, the same at any such place of dramatic entertainment as aforesaid, and shall be deemed and taken to be the proprietor thereProviso as of: provided nevertheless, that nothing in this act contained shall prejudice, alter, or affect the right or authorvious to the ity of any person to represent or cause to be represented, passing of at any place or places of dramatic entertainment whatsoconsent has ever, any such production as aforesaid, in all cases in been given. which the author thereof or his assignee shall, previously to the passing of this act, have given his consent to or authorized such representation, but that such sole liberty of the author or his assignee shall be subject to such right or authority. to cases where, pre this act, a Penalty on persons act. II. And be it further enacted, That if any person shall, performing during the continuance of such sole liberty as aforesaid, pieces con- contrary to the intent of this act, or right of the author or trary to this his assignee, represent, or cause to be represented, without the consent in writing of the author or other proprietor first had and obtained, at any place of dramatic entertainment within the limits aforesaid, any such production as aforesaid, or any part thereof, every such offender shall be liable for each and every such representation to the payment of an amount not less than forty shillings, or to the full amount of the benefit or advantage arising from such representation, or the injury or loss sustained by the plaintiff therefrom, whichever shall be the greater damages, to the author or other proprietor of such production so represented contrary to the true intent and c. 15. meaning of this act, to be recovered, together with double 3 W. IV. costs of suit, by such author or other proprietors, in any court having jurisdiction in such cases in that part of the said United Kingdom or of the British dominions in which the offence shall be committed; and in every such proceeding where the sole liberty of such author or his assignee as aforesaid shall be subject to such right or authority as aforesaid, it shall be sufficient for the plaintiff to state that he has such sole liberty, without stating the same to be subject to such right or authority, or otherwise mentioning the same. of actions. III. Provided nevertheless, and be it further enacted, Limitation That all actions or proceedings for any offence or injury that shall be committed against this act shall be brought, sued, and commenced within twelve calendar months next after such offence committed, or else the same shall be void and of no effect. tion of IV. And be it further enacted, That whenever authors, Explanapersons, offenders, or others are spoken of in this act in words. the singular number or in the masculine gender, the same shall extend to any number of persons and to either sex. e* 5 & 6 W. IV. - An Act for preventing the Publication of Lectures without Consent.[9th September 1835.] 5 & 6 WHEREAS printers, publishers, and other persons have Will. IV. frequently taken the liberty of printing and publishing sole right of publishthem. Penalty on other per sons pub lishing, &c. lectures without leave. lectures delivered upon divers subjects, without the consent of the authors of such lectures, or the persons delivering the same in public, to the great detriment of such Authors of authors and lecturers: Be it enacted, &c., That from lectures, or their asand after the first day of September one thousand eight signs, to hundred and thirty-five the author of any lecture or lechave the tures, or the person to whom he hath sold or otherwise conveyed the copy thereof, in order to deliver the same in any school, seminary, institution, or other place, or for any other purpose, shall have the sole right and liberty of printing and publishing such lecture or lectures; and that if any person shall, by taking down the same in short hand or otherwise in writing, or in any other way, obtain or make a copy of such lecture or lectures, and shall print or lithograph or otherwise copy and publish the same, or cause the same to be printed, lithographed, or otherwise copied and, published, without leave of the author thereof, or of the person to whom the author thereof hath sold or otherwise conveyed the same, and every person who, knowing the same to have been printed or copied and published without such consent, shall sell, publish or expose to sale, or cause to be sold, published, or exposed to sale any such lecture or lectures, shall forfeit such printed or otherwise copied lecture or lectures, or parts thereof, together with one penny for every sheet thereof which shall be found in his custody, either printed, lithographed, or copied, or printing, lithographing or copying, published or exposed to sale, contrary to the true intent and meaning of this act, the one moiety thereof to his Majesty, his heirs or successors, and the other moiety thereof to any person who shall sue for the same, to be recovered in any of his Majesty's courts of record in Westminster by action of debt, bill, plaint, or informa- 5 & 6 tion, in which no wager of law, essoign, privilege, or pro- Will. IV. tection, or more than one imparlance, shall be allowed. pers, pub II. That any printer or publisher of any newspaper Penalty on who shall, without such leave as aforesaid, print and pub- printers or publishers lish in such newspaper any lecture or lectures, shall be of newspadeemed and taken to be a person printing and publish- fishing lecing without leave within the provisions of this act, and tures withliable to the aforesaid forfeitures and penalties in respect of such printing and publishing. out leave. III. That no person allowed for certain fee and reward, Persons or otherwise, to attend and be present at any lecture de- having leave to atlivered in any place, shall be deemed and taken to be tend leclicensed or to have leave to print, copy, and publish such lectures only because of having leave to attend such lecture or lectures. tures not on that account licensed to publish them. Act not to prohibit the publishing shall of lectures au IV. Provided always, That nothing in this act shall extend to prohibit any person from printing, copying, and publishing any lecture or lectures which have or have been printed and published with leave of the thors thereof or their assignees, and whereof the time hath or shall have expired within which the sole right to print and publish the same is given by an act passed in the eighth year of the reign of queen Anne, intituled An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by vesting the Copies of Printed Books in the Authors or Purchasers of such Copies during the Times therein mentioned, and by another passed in the fifty-fourth year of the reign of king George the third, intituled An Act to amend the several Acts for the Encouragement of Learning, by securing the Copies and Copyright of printed Books to the Authors of such Books, or their Assigns, or to any lectures which have been printed or published before the passing of this act. after the expiration of the copyright 8 Anne, c. 19. 54 G. III. c. 156. extend to V. Provided further, That nothing in this act shall ex- Act not to tend to any lecture or lectures, or the printing, copying, lectures deor publishing any lecture or lectures, or parts thereof, of livered in the delivering of which notice in writing shall not have places, &c. been given to two justices living within five miles from unlicensed |
