Judgment By Irish King Basis Of Copyright Law

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27987, 6 June 1956, Page 13

Judgment By Irish King Basis Of Copyright Law

(Rec 10 p.m.) LONDON, July 5. A judgment by a king of Ireland in the sixth century—“to every cow its calf and every book its copy’’—formed the bass of the present international Jaw on copyright a member of Parliament claimed last night. He is Mr Hugh Montgomery Hyde (Conservative), who told the House of Commons that the dispute was between two monks who Were later canonised—St. Finian and St. Columba. St. Columba * had appropriated a manuscript belonging to St. Finian and copied it. St. Finian found out about Jt and appealed to the king, who gave JUdgm°nt in favour of .St. Finian. Mr Hyde said that first recorded infringement of copyright resulted in me unauthorised copy being subsequently imported into Scotland. . He understood it led to the conversion • of the Scots to the Christian .The House was debating a bill to ®ve copyright protection for television •nd radio broadcasts. It would give British authors greater Copyright protection in the United

States, and would change the law to enable Britain to ratify the Universal Copyright Convention of 1952. The bill passed the second reading stage.