Dramatic Copyright Act 1903

Public Act		1903 No 16
Date of assent		30 October 1903

	Title
	Preamble.
1	Short Title.
2	Penalty for “pirating” plays.
3	Proceedings to be heard by a Magistrate.

An Act to amend the Law relating to the Copyright of Dramatic Works.

Preamble.

WHEREAS by an Act passed in the third and fourth years of the reign of William IV., intituled “An Act to amend the Laws relating to Dramatic Literary Property,” it was provided that any person who represented, or caused to be represented, without the consent in writing of the author or other proprietor of the sole right of representation of any unprinted dramatic work during the period for which copyright therein existed was liable to certain damages to such author or other proprietor: And whereas by an Act passed in the fifth and sixth years of the reign of Victoria, intituled “An Act to amend the Law of Copyright,” the above-recited provision was extended to printed dramatic works; but in neither Act was any provision made for recovery of payment on default, or any other than a civil remedy provided, and it is expedient that the rights of authors and other proprietors of dramatic copyright should be further protected:

Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly of New Zealand in Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same as follows:—

1 Short Title.

The Short Title of this Act is “The Dramatic Copyright Act, 1903.”

2 Penalty for “pirating” plays.

Every person who for personal gain represents or causes to be represented any dramatic work within the meaning of “The Fine Arts Copyright Act 1877 Amendment Act, 1879,” or any appreciable part or colourable imitation thereof, without the consent in writing of the author or other proprietor of the sole rights of representation of such dramatic work during the period for which copyright therein exists, is liable, in addition to any other penalties under the said Acts, to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds, and, in default of payment of such fine within twenty-one days after judgment, may be imprisoned for a term not exceeding three months, with or without hard labour, at the discretion of the Stipendiary Magistrate:

Provided that proceedings for the recovery of such fine shall be taken not later than six months after the commission of the offence:

Provided also that no offence under this Act shall be deemed to have been committed unless the copyright has been registered in New Zealand.

3 Proceedings to be heard by a Magistrate.

All proceedings under this Act shall be heard and determined by a Stipendiary Magistrate only, under the provisions of “The Justices of the Peace Act, 1882.”

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Dramatic Copyright Act 1903