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COPYRIGHT

Minor acts

Short form of notice

Proposed Canadian copyright code, 191 1

Canada an edition of such book designed for sale in Canada only, the Minister of Agriculture may pro- hibit the importation into Canada, except with the , written consent of the licensee, of any copies of such book printed elsewhere, excepting two copies each for the use of public or institution libraries. There is some question as to the compatibility of this act with Imperial law.

An act of 1887 had authorized the transfer from the Minister of Agriculture to the Minister of Trade and Commerce of the registration of industrial designs and trade-marks, but this transfer has never taken place. The acts of 1890 and 1891 provided for copy- right suits in the Exchequer Court of Canada in the name of the Attorney-General or at the suit of any person interested. The act of 1895 also contained a provision adding to the two deposit copies required for Canada a third for deposit in the British Museum. Finally an act of 1908 substituted the short form of copyright notice, "Copyright, Canada, 19, by A. B." This completes the history of Canadian copy- right legislation.

The copyright legislation of Canada will presently be replaced by a comprehensive code, utilizing the permission granted by the new Imperial copyright measure to self-governing dominions. The new bill, of which the original text, as submitted to Parlia- ment April 26, 1911, is given in full in the appendix, will establish relations between the Dominion of Canada and the Imperial authority closely similar to those established by the Australian act of 1905, between that Commonwealth and the home govern- ment. It pushes still further the precedent of "pro- tection to home industries" followed by American copyright legislation since 1891, and is a far more drastic measure, evidently in retaliation against the