Nichols v. Ruggles
U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Connecticut
MOTION for a new trial. This was an action of book debt; and among other charges in the plaintiff’s account, there was one of 262 dollars and 9 cents, for printing part of a book entitled “ The Federal CalculatorIt was proved, and admitted by the parties, that before June, 1804, when the printing was done, one Daniel Hawley had obtained the exclusive copyright of the book, as author, throughout the United States.
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MOTION for a new trial. This was an action of book debt; and among other charges in the plaintiff’s account, there was one of 262 dollars and 9 cents, for printing part of a book entitled “ The Federal CalculatorIt was proved, and admitted by the parties, that before June, 1804, when the printing was done, one Daniel Hawley had obtained the exclusive copyright of the book, as author, throughout the United States. He had lodged the title with the clerk of the district court for Connecticut, as the law directs; and had assigned his copyright to one Penny - man, with the exclusive privilege of…
1Opinion of the Court
By the Court, Swift and Smith, Js.
dissenting. A contract to reprint any literary work, the copyright, ie which has been secured to the author, is void, unless it is entered into with the consent of the author, or his assignee. And the printer who executes the contrae* with a knowledge of the rights of the author, can reco - ver nothing for his labour.
The provisions of the statute, which require the author to publish the title of his book in a newspaper, and to deliver a copy of the work itself to the secretary of state, are merely directory, and constitute no part of the essential requisites…
2Cited by6 opinions
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- Wheaton and Donaldson v. Peters and GriggSupreme Court of the United States · 1834
- Wheaton and Donaldson v. Peters and GriggSupreme Court of the United States · 1834
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