Asia otherwise Tunis, etc. Egypt Persia and other native-governed countries seem to have no copyright protection, although Persia was represented at the Berlin conference. Copyright provisions in British India, Ceylon and the other Asian colonies is covered in the preceding chapter on the British dominions. The Dutch East Indies have copyright protection under Dutch law, and IndoChina under French law. The Philippine Islands, like the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), have copyright protection under United States law. Tunis, a protectorate of France but not a French colony, long the only unionist country in Africa, has domestic protection under its law of 1889, following in general that of France, with a term of life and fifty years. It was one of the original parties, as a separate power, to the treaty of Berne, accepted the Paris acts and ratified the Berlin convention with reservation, September 30, 1910, like France, as to works of applied design, in which it adheres to the stipulations of the previous convention; it has no other foreign relations. Algiers, a French colony, is under French law and international relations. Morocco and other native states seem to be without copyright protection. Egypt, under the protectorate of Great Britain but not a British possession technically, is without domestic legislation, except that its penal code of 1884-89 forbids piracy, and it is not included under British relations. But under a crude sort of customary law and this penal code, the courts enforce rights of foreigners as well as of natives by the protection of their works for an indefinite term. The rights of French citizens in plays and music have been enforced through the French consular court, and in recent years the mixed courts at Cairo and the Court of Appeal have exercised copyright jurisdiction, “under the principles of natural justice and the laws of equity." In the leading case of the Société des gens de lettres v. Egyptian Gazette, in 1889, the Court of Appeal laid down the principle that "copyright is a veritable right of property founded on labor," and on this ground has upheld the right of literary, dramatic and musical authors and of artists to prevent reproduction. Liberia seems to have no domestic copyright law Liberia recorded, and probably protection, national and international, is under customary law without formalities. It was represented as an independent power at the Berne convention and signed the original convention, but never became a party to it by ratification; it, however, adopted the Berlin convention by ratification and is now a member of the International Copyright Union. The Congo Free State seems to cover copyright Africa offenses by its extradition treaties with Belgium otherwise (1898) and France (1899) to the extent of including in the list of offenses fraudulent application to any art object or work of literature or music, of the name of an author, or any distinctive sign adopted by him. Copyright provision in South Africa, Sierra Leone and other British colonies is covered in the preceding chapter on the British dominions. America In Latin America provision for copyright protec- Latin tion had generally been made by the several states, for various terms, in some cases in perpetuity, previous to a movement for international relationship which began with the Montevideo convention of 1889, for South American states only, reached a further step in the convention of Mexico City, 1902, was not substantially advanced by the amendatory treaty proposed at Rio de Janeiro, 1906, which never became practically operative anywhere, and culminated in the Buenos Aires convention of 1910, which Mexico was ratified by the United States Senate February 16, 1911, but has yet to be ratified by the Latin countries. Five South American states are bound together under the Montevideo convention as ratified by Argentina (1894), Bolivia (1903), Paraguay (1889), Peru (1889), and Uruguay (1892). The United States has relations with Mexico (1896), Costa Rica (1899), Cuba (1903), Chile (1896), and by ratification in 1908 of the Mexico convention of 1902, with Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Salvador and possibly Dominican Republic, and will come into relations under the Buenos Aires convention of 1910, with any power ratifying that convention. Mexico, under the guarantees of property in its constitution of 1857, and the specific and elaborate copyright provisions of its civil code of 1871, as modified by that of 1884, grants copyright in perpetuity and playright for life and thirty years as the general term, with complicated modifications and exceptions. In the case of anonymous and pseudonymous works, rights in perpetuity are to the publisher and his successors, pending disclosure of the author, who must record his name in a sealed envelope. The right of translation is protected in perpetuity except for works of non-residents published abroad, then limited to ten years. Corporate works are protected for twenty-five and official publications for ten years only. Registration is required through application to the Minister of Public Education and deposit of two copies is obligatory, one in the National Library and one in the Public Archives. A third copy is usually expected for the Library of the Ministry. The right to copyright holds for ten years from publication. Reservation is required of right of translation and of other specified rights, by notice on the printed work. Protection is conditioned on residence, reciprocity or first publica tion within Mexico. Private letters may not be published without consent of both correspondents or their heirs, except for proof of right or in the public interest, or for the progress of science. Mexico does not seem to be a party to any convention, not even that of Mexico City, but has had reciprocal relations with the United States as a "proclaimed" country since February 27, 1896, and has treaties with the Dominican Republic (1890) and Ecuador (1888), and with Belgium (1895), France (1886), Italy (1890), and Spain (1903), all on the "most favored nation" basis. To obtain Mexican copyright, it seems necessary to execute a power of attorney, validated by a Mexican consul, to a representative in Mexico City for the registration and deposit at the Ministry. Of the five nations of Central America, Costa Rica, Central American under penal and civil codes of 1880 and 1888 and a states: Costa copyright law of 1896, grants copyright, including Rica playright, for life and fifty years, with provisions for return to heirs after twenty years and other variations after the Spanish model, on registration and deposit within a year of three copies of a printed work at the office of Public Libraries, on condition of residence. or reciprocity. Guatemala, under a decree of 1879, Guatemala grants copyright for literary works in perpetuity on registration and deposit of four copies at the Ministry of Public Education to "inhabitants of the Republic," — with the curious provision that an assignee cannot prevent republication with "essential modifications" by the author. Right of translation must be reserved by notice. A sealed envelope with name of author must accompany an anonymous book. Hon- Honduras duras, under its constitution of 1894, has provisions in its civil and penal codes of 1898 guaranteeing to an author of a literary, scientific or artistic work the general property rights, pending passage of a copy Nicaragua Salvador Interstate and international relations right law and punishing fraud by "minor banishment." Nicaragua, under its civil code of 1904, grants copyright in perpetuity on registration and deposit of six copies with the Ministry of Agriculture. Right of translation must be reserved by notice. Salvador, under its constitution of 1886 and law of 1900, grants copyright on works published in Salvador for life and twenty-five years, or for corporate works fifty years from publication on deposit of one copy with the Minister of Agriculture before publication, with the exceptional provision that if the heirs renounce their rights or fail to make use of them within a year from the author's death, the work falls into the public domain; the translator of a Latin or Greek work is protected as an author, and the government may grant five-year licenses for the reprint with author's permission of "interesting works," presumably those published elsewhere. In 1894-95, and again in 1897-1901, interstate treaties, incidentally covering copyright, were negotiated; but interstate and international relations are now covered by the participation of the five nations, as well as the United States and the Dominican Republic, in the Mexico convention of 1902 and by the treaty of peace made by these five Central American states at Washington, December 20, 1907. There is some question under the treaty of 1907 whether protection is assured in each state to others than residents, but probably all citizens of the five states are protected throughout all. To secure protection under the convention of 1902, an American citizen should apply for an additional certificate from the U. S. Copyright Office for each country, which after validation by the State Department is sent with one deposit copy for each country to the respective American legations, through which official acknowledgment will be re |