COPYRIGHT—& CONVERSION

Evening Post, Issue 45, 22 February 1936, Page 8

COPYRIGHT—& CONVERSION

Explaining the copyright questions that had arisen with the mechanisation of music, Mr. Lashmar, a director of the Australasian Performing Right Association, recalled in an interview with "The Post" this week one of- the earliest declarations of the copyright principle. It was made in Ireland almost 1400 years ago, when St. Finnian, owner of a beautiful copy of the Gospels, demanded that St. Columba should return both the book which he had borrowed and the copy he had made for himself. The King of Meath gave judgment for St. Finnian on the ground that to every cow belongs her calf. Mr. Lashmar remarked that the same principle held good with respect to the rewards due to authors, composers, and publishers for the public performance of. their works. This is no doubt correct, but Mr. Lashmar did not narrate the sequel to the original copyright judgment. St. Columba was of royal lineage and his people, resenting the judgment, took up arms against the King of Meath. There was great slaughter and in remorse St. Columba left Ireland for lona, whence he evangelised Northern Scotland. We do not suggest that there is a moral in this part of the legend (for the story of the book, is legendary), but there was a war, and we may sincerely hope that modern copyright questions will not lead to a war, with consequent loss both to composers and to those who enjoy good music. This is unlikely, for as Mr. Lashmar said, the people of New Zealand are fair. They wish neither to deprive composers of their due reward nor themselves of good music, even if the deprivation (as in the St. Columba legend) were productive of ultimate good, such as the conversion by musical evangelists of jazz barbarians in-America.