VISCOUNT MAHONinquired whether any of our colonies had availed themselves of the Act of last Session, whereby the Crown was authorised to suspend the operation of the statutory prohibition against the importation into any colony of foreign reprints of English books, in cases where the legislature of the colony made such a provision with respect to the rights of the authors as should be approved by the Crown?
§ MR. LABOUCHEREanswered, that two among the North American Colonies, namely, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, had passed colonial Acts, and sent them here for confirmation, imposing a duty of 20 per cent upon the importation of what were before pirated editions of English works published in the United States, and providing that the proceeds of that duty should be remitted for the benefit of those who had the copyright in this country. Her Majesty's Government entirely approved the principle of these Acts; but there were certain details which appeared objectionable, and therefore the Acts had been returned with the statement of those objections; but the details would, no doubt, be satisfactorily arranged.