. Many booksellers had purchased copyrights not protected by the
statute, and they now petitioned parliament to be relieved from the
consequences of the decision in _Donaldson_ v. _Beckett_. A bill for
this purpose actually passed the House of Commons, but Lord Camden's
influence succeeded in defeating it in the House of Lords. The result is
that from that time on ordinary copyright has been recognized except in
so far as it is sanctioned by statute. The university copyrights were,
however, protected in perpetuity by an act passed in 1775.

By an act of 1801 the penalty for infringement of copyright was
increased to threepence per sheet, in addition to the forfeiture of the
book. The proprietor was to have an action on the case against any
person in the United Kingdom, or British dominions in Europe, who should
print, reprint, or import without the consent of the proprietor, first
had in writing, signed in the presence of two or more credible
witnesses, any book or books, or who knowing them to be printed, &c.,
without the proprietor's consent should sell, publish, or expose them
for sale; the proprietor to have his damages as assessed by the jury,
and double costs of suit. A second period of fourteen years was
confirmed to the author, should he still be alive at the end of the
first. Further, it was forbidden to import into the United Kingdom for
sale books first composed, written, or printed and published within the
United Kingdom, and reprinted elsewhere. Another change was made by the
act of 1814, which in substitution for the two periods of fourteen years
gave to the author and his assignees copyright for the full term of
twenty-eight years from the date of the first publication, "and also, if
the author be living at the end of that period, for the residue of his
natural life."

Act of 1842.

4. The Copyright Act of 1842 repealed the previous acts on the same
subject, and is the basis of the existing law. Its preamble stated its
object to be to encourage the production of "literary matter of lasting
benefit to the world." The principal clause is the following (S3): "That
the copyright in every book which shall after the passing of this act be
published in the lifetime of its author shall endure for the natural
life of such author, and for the further term of seven years, commencing
at the time of his death, and shall be the property of such author and
his assignees; provided always that if the said term of se