Novello, Ewer and Co. Dvořák Antonín

My dear Friend

We have certainly no idea of interfering with your opera “Dimitri” and should not think of doing so without arranging with you. But you know if you must not publish your music first in Bohemia if you wish to preserve the copyright in England and other countries. There is no treaty between Bohemia and England consequently an if you publish anything for the first time in Prague any publisher in England may take it without you paying for anything - in fact a publisher cannot pay you because if the music should become popular everybody will print it. You have only to make your government agree to a treaty with us: England is always ready + the matter could be settled in a very short time.

In the Musical Times for November page 659 you will find a paragraph showing that a further convention has been made between many countries. Why does not Austria + Bohemia come into this.

All the above remarks apply of course to the songs: if they were published as you say first in Bohemia there is no right in England and everything can print there.

We should very much prefer to pay you for them as you know if we had the only right in England: get a treaty made by your government and we will still pay it for anything that has not been printed by anyone else in England.

With kindest regards

Yours very sincerely

 

Alfred H Littleton

o ochraně autorských práv, dohoda mezi Anglií a Rakouskem neexistuje

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