DEATH KNELL?

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 174, 25 July 1935, Page 8

DEATH KNELL?

TAKING NO RISK.

IZJ OFF THE AIR

a LEAVE OF ABSENCE."

"If the demand made is upheld by law then it definitely sounds the death knell of the B stations," said Mr. Johns, manager of IZ-1. "We received our demand yesterday morning and closed down immediately, our station not being on the air last night."

Mr. Johns said it was not intended to put IZ-I on the air again till the position clarified, and in the meantime lie would apply to the Government for "leave of absence." .

"It looks as though those holding the copyright of the gramophone records want to pay oft' England's war debt to America. No one could possibly operate a station under the terms the copyright holders of records demand, and if the demand can be sustained in a court of law then all the B stations must go.

"My view is that the law governing copyright is hopelessly out of date. Probably it was. all right r>o years ago, when authors and composers of music were slow in getting a return for their compositions, but things have considerably altered since then. A writer like the"late Edgar Wallace could earn thousands of pounds in a very short time, and it is the same with the composers of music. I feel that it is time the Government set about bringing the law regarding copyright into line with the patents law where a patent, is protected for 14 years only."'