§ MR. AGNEW (Lancashire, S.E., Stretford)asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, If he will inform the House what countries were represented at the Berne Conference of September last upon the question of copyright; if all the States represented thereat agreed to the resolutions adopted at the said Conference; and, if the Government of the United States was invited to take part in the proceedings?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. BRYCE) (Aberdeen, S.)The Papers laid on the Table at the beginning of the present Session show that the following States were represented at the Berne Conference—namely, Germany, Argentine Republic, Belgium, Costa Rica, Spain, United States, France, Great Britain, Haiti, Honduras, Italy, Paraguay, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, and Tunis. The final Protocol was signed by all the Delegates, except those of the United States, Belgium, and three of the smaller South American States, who, whilst expressing sympathy with the objects of the Conference, had not received authority to sign. The United States Delegate, however, made a declaration on behalf of his Government to the effect that they were—
Kindly disposed in principle to the proposition that the author of a literary or artistic work, whatever be his nationality, and whatever the place of reproduction, should be everywhere protected on the same footing as the citizens and subjects of each nation.