Mead v. West Pub. Co.

80 F. 380, 1896 U.S. App. LEXIS 2311
CourtU.S. Circuit Court for the District of Minnesota
DecidedJuly 14, 1896
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 80 F. 380 (Mead v. West Pub. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mead v. West Pub. Co., 80 F. 380, 1896 U.S. App. LEXIS 2311 (circtdmn 1896).

Opinion

LOCHREN, District Judge

(orally). This is the first case of the kind that has come before me, and comes under a branch of the law with which I am not entirely familiar, so far as an examination of decided cases is concerned. The law provides, and properly, that, when an author has expended his time and talent upon a book, his property right in it is one which the law will protect against any one who attempts to avail himself of the results of the author’s labor. This rule applies, as I understand the law, to books written by an author, of which the forms of expression are his own, and the result of his own research and thought, and also to compilations of the works of other parties upon a common subject. To that extent, there is no doubt that extracts from works of others, combined so as to add to the value of a book, become properly the subject of copyright. Many books, after having labor of that kind expended upon them, become much more valuable than before they were so treated. Lawyers are familiar with such books; Saunders’ Reports, for instance, as they came from the hands of the author, were of little value until they were enriched by the notes of Serjeant Williams, when they became of great value to the profession. The same may be said of Phillips on Evidence, which was really a book of but little value as-it was issued by the author, but when there was added to it Cowen & Hill’s notes it became one of the most valuable works on the subject of Evidence published at that time. There is no doubt that the authors in these or similar cases are entitled to copyright to preserve to themselves the benefits resulting from their labors. The case of Lawrence v. Dana was referred to by counsel in their argument, from which I understand a new edition of Wheaton’s International Law was annotated by Mr. Lawrence, and afterwards a later edition of the same was gotten out by Mr. Dana. It was claimed, and seems to have been established, that the latter used the labor and thought of Mr. Lawrence in aid of his own work, and it was held that Dana had infringed the copyright of Lawrence.

[388]*388Now, in the case that we have before us, works upon Pleadings,— especially where each is a reproduction of the work of an older author (both of these books being a reproduction of the work of Stephen on Pleading, and professedly claiming to bring that work down to’ the present time), there is little room for original literary work. It is rather the work of an editor, compiling, in connection with the original work, new rules which have since grown up through the decisions of the courts, exceptions to the old rules, and notations as to things which have become obsolete in matters of practice, from changes in the practice of the courts. But, while this may be merely the work of an editor or compiler, there is no question that, in producing a work of this kind, such changes, additions, and explanations can be made and added as would make a book of far greater value than the original, and that such new matter would be the subject of copyright.

It seems that about the same time these two publishing houses, without any consultation, and without the knowledge of each other’s intention, set about and acted upon substantially the same idea, to' wit, putting upon the market the work of Mr. Stephen on Pleading, carried down to the present time, and that each employed its own men to prepare that work. The result of this employment was the first edition of Shipman by the defendant, and the edition by Mr. Andrews published by the plaintiff. Almost immediately after these two books came out, a new edition was commenced and prepared by Mr. Clark for the defendant. The complaint is that in the second edition Mr. Clark absorbed, or made illegal and improper use of, the work of the edition of Stephen which had been prepared by Andrews, as the plaintiff’s book. There is no objection, and there could be none, to editions of this kind being issued by either of these publishing houses, and one company could not restrain the othefrom issuing a work of that kind; but neither would have the right to use the work and labor of the other. In this case it is claimed that the defendant did use and reproduce the work and labor of plaintiff’s editor, Mr. Andrews.

It is admitted that the book issued by plaintiff was used by defendant’s editor, to some extent, in preparing the second edition of defendant’s book. It is also admitted, as I understand it, that, as far as the original text of Stephen is concerned, the same was cut, to a certain extent, from plaintiff’s edition, and used as copy by defendant, but it is denied that any substantial use was made of Andrews’ book any further than that. Of course, plaintiff could have no copyright upon this text of Stephen as it was embodied in plaintiff’s book; and I do not understand that the use made of it by defendant, as I have described it, is complained of. It is also admitted by the affidavit of defendant’s editor that he got the idea of adding to his work certain matters upon the subjects of Forcible Entry and Detainer, Writ of Entry, and Trespass to Try Title, which were subjects not treated of in the old treatise of Stephen, by perusing the plaintiff’s book; and that it occurred to him, from seeing these .subjects there treated of, that it would be well to have something [389]*389in his second edition upon those subjects. He says that he did thereupon insert in his second edition some subjects of the law and practice under those subheads. I do not understand that it is claimed that he had not a perfect right so to do. The mere fact that Mr. Andrews has added, to matters treated by Stephen, these other subheads, would not prevent any other publisher from taking the same course. But the latter would not have the right to reproduce or copy the matter which Mr. Andrews had inserted in his book,—to take it from that, and transfer and reproduce it in his own book. I do not understand there is any claim that he did so. There have been no resemblances pointed out to me, indicating that there was such a transfer from one book to the other. It is true, the idea of treating these subjects was obtained from Mr. Andrews’ book, but I do not think it is claimed that the defendant appropriated any of the treatment of those subjects made by Mr. Andrews; that is, that he took any of such matter and inserted it in his own book.

The matter comes down really to the question of taking the authorities in one book, and inserting them in the other. Ho case has-been pointed out to me, and I do not think one exists, as far as I have been able to observe by an examination of the books, where sentences have been transferred from one book to the other; but complaint is made that, on the same subjects, references to text-books- and reports were taken from plaintiff’s book and inserted in defendant’s second edition, and that this is an invasion of the plaintiff’s-copyright. It would certainly be impossible, in treating of the different rules of pleading, and the exceptions to those' rules, their extent and limitation, not to express the same ideas, though probably in different language; for the same ideas would have to be expressed in both books, especially where the same original work was taken as a basis of those two books. That could not be avoided. The authorities upon which these rules and the exceptions and limitations rest would naturally be the same, and different authors treating the subject would ordinarily refer to the same authorities, if they made the same research. Therefore it is not a matter of surprise to find the same authorities cited to substantially the same proposition.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Mathews Conveyer Co. v. Palmer-Bee Co.
135 F.2d 73 (Sixth Circuit, 1943)
Fred Fisher, Inc. v. Dillingham
298 F. 145 (S.D. New York, 1924)
Dun v. Lumbermen's Credit Ass'n
144 F. 83 (Seventh Circuit, 1906)
Edward Thompson Co. v. American Law Book Co.
122 F. 922 (Second Circuit, 1903)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
80 F. 380, 1896 U.S. App. LEXIS 2311, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mead-v-west-pub-co-circtdmn-1896.