A Copyright Case

THERE has seldom been a case of copyright in India. The true Indian ideal is against any copyright. The best authors were satisfied if their works secured the approval and admiration of their literary brotherhood. They themselves never sold their works, but were either supported by kings or lived by teaching. The copyright law is, therefore, foreign to the Indian genius. The caste that was decided by the Allahabad High Court the other day referred to a book of selections from certain authors and it was claimed that the compiler employed his skill in making an appreciable compilation which was approved of by the University. Justices Pigott and Lindsay on the other hand said, that when the University  authorities published their syllabus they surrendered any copyright which might have existed in the skill, learning, experience and labour expended over the preparation. The avowed intention of the University authorities was that any enterprising firm of publishers should bring out the passages in question in a book form.