Quote about copyright

[Chrisczech]

As I was re-reading Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby, I came upon this quote, which Dickens put in the mouth of a Member of Parliament, and which I found interesting on the subject of copyright:

For instance, if any preposterous bill were brought forward, for giving poor grubbing devils of authors a right to their own property, I should like to say, that I for one would never consent to opposing an insurmountable bar to the diffusion of literature among THE PEOPLE,--you understand?--that the creations of the pocket, being man's, might belong to one man, or one family; but that the creations of the brain, being God's, ought as a matter of course to belong to the people at large--and if I was pleasantly disposed, I should like to make a joke about posterity, and say that those who wrote for posterity should be content to be rewarded by the approbation OF posterity.

[GordMackenzie]

Also from Dickens and Nickleby comes this quote about theatrical 'authors' who steal from novelists:

"You take the uncompleted books of living authors, fresh from their hands, wet from the press, cut, hack, and carve them ... Now, show me the distinction between such pilfering as this, and picking a man's pocket in the street."

Dickens was a strong advocate for copyright laws. He was reportedly appalled that his works were published in the United States without any royalties being paid to him and worked to establish international copyright agreements.