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COPYRIGHT

Reversion of contract

Scope of contract

be paid. When an author pays the cost of the edition or pays for making the plates, he may contract to pay a commission to the publisher and obtain the balance for himself, or he may contract for a larger percentage of return to him than the usual royalty percentage. The publishers are usually authorized to permit the printing of selections and to arrange for translations, etc., subject to the arrangement indicated above. The author is expected to pay for alterations either in full or above a stated sum, as fifty dollars, and to pro- vide any index or like equipment if required.

Insurance is not usually required from the pub- lishers, but in case of fire or loss, the publishers have the option of reproducing the work, and if they de- cline to do so, the contract usually provides for recon- veyance of the copyright to the author and the termination of the agreement after the sale of copies remaining on hand. A publishing contract some- times provides that after a specified time from date of publication, as two or five years, if the publishers consider that the public demand does not justify con- tinuing publication, or for other reasons, they may offer to surrender their publishing rights on compen- sation for the plates, as at half cost, and remaining copies, as at cost, and if the author does not elect to accept this offer, then the publishers may sell copies on hand free from royalty and terminate the agree- ment, the copyright reverting to the author. The publishers are usually authorized, in their discretion, to protect the copyright by legal proceedings at their expense or at joint expense of publishers and author.

The contract may be for the full term of copyright, with or without obligation on the part of the author to provide for renewal, or for a stated number of years and thereafter until terminated on stated no- tice, or it may be for a specified number of editions