# Primary Sources on Copyright - Record Viewer
Anglo-Spanish Copyright Treaty , Madrid (1857)

Source: Archivo Histórico Nacional; ESTADO 8464. Exp. 47

Citation:
Anglo-Spanish Copyright Treaty , Madrid (1857), Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900), eds L. Bently & M. Kretschmer, www.copyrighthistory.org

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                                    N. 141
                                          
                                          With England
      
                                    on literary and artistic works
      
            
                  
                        
            
            
                                    signed on July 7, 1857
                                          
                                          
                                    ratified on August 20, 1857
      
                                          



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                                    N. 140
                                          
                                          
                                                3
      
                                    Ratification
      
            
                  



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                                    N. 140
                                          
                                          
                                                1
      
                                    Plenipotentia
      
            
                  



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            Queen Isabella II
      by the Grace of God and the Constitution of the Spanish Monarchy,
      Queen of the Spains
      
Whereas I have deem convenient for the promotion of sciences,
literature and the arts for a Convention between Spain
and the Great Britain to be arranged in order
to secure the property right that belongs to the the authors of scientific,
literary and artistic works; being necessary that to that effect to authorise [...]
      
PLENIPOTENTIA
      
I hereby duly authorise Mr Pedro José Pidal, Marquis of de Pidal,
Knight of the Grand Cross of the Royal and distinguished Order
of Charlos III, and of the San Fernando and Merit of Naples,
      
[...]
      
      Madrid 28 April 1857

            

            




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MINISTRY                               Our Lady
OF
FOREIGN
AFFAIRS
            
Chancery
            
      
      
For the signature of Your Majesty...... The Plenipotentia in favour of
                              your First Secretary
                               of the State to arrange
                              a Convention on literary
                              property between Spain and
                              Great Britain
            
      
            
      
            
May Your Majesty sign it here______________ I, the Queen



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Victoria, by the Grace of God, Queen of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc, etc, etc.
To All and Singular to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting!
Whereas a Convention between Us and Our Good Sister The
Queen of Spain, was concluded and signed at Madrid on the
seventh day of July, ultimo, by the Plenipotentiaries of Us and of
Our said Good Sister, duly and respectively authorized for that
purpose; which Convention is, word for word, as follows:-
      
                        
      Her Majesty The Queen of
      The United Kingdom of Great
      Britain and Ireland, and Her
      Majesty The Queen of Spain,
      being equally desirous of
      extending in each Country the
      enjoyment of Copyright to Works
      of Literature and of the fine
      arts which may be first
      published in the other; Her
      Britannic Majesty and Her
      Catholic Majesty have deemed
                                          it
      


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      it expedient to conclude a
      especial Convention for that
      purpose, and have therefore
      named as their Plenipotentiaries,
      that is to say:-
      Her majesty The Queen of
      the United Kingdom of Great
      Britain and Ireland etc.etc.etc
      The right Honourable John
      Hobart Caradoc, Lord Howden
      of Grimeston, a Peer of Great
      Britain and Ireland and a
      Peer of Ireland, a major-
      General in the Army, Knight
      Commander of the most
      Honourable Order of the Bath
      of England, Knight Grand-
      Cross of the most distinguished
      Order of Charles the Third, and
      Knight of the military order
      of St Ferdinando of Spain,
      commander of the Legion of
                                          honour
      


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      Honour of France, of Leopold
      of Belgium, of St Anna of
      Russia, of the Redeemer of
      Greece, and Knight of the
      Guelphic Order of Hanover,
      Her Britannic Majesty’s
      Envoy Extraordinary and
      Minister Plenipotentiary at
      the Court of Her Catholic
      majesty; etc.etc;
      
      And Her Majesty The
      Queen of Spain, etc.etc.etc
      Don Pedro Jose Pidal, Marques
      Of Pidal, Knight Grand Cross
      of the Royal and distinguished
      order of Charles the Third, of
      that of St Ferdinand and of
      merit of the Two Sicilies, of the
      Pontifical Order of Pius the
      Ninth, of that of the Lion of
      the Netherlands, of those of
      Christ and of the Conception of
                                          Villaviciosa









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      Villaviciosa of Portugal, of
      that of Leopold of Belgium,
      of that of St Maurice and
      St Lazarus of Sardinia, of
      that of St Alexander Newsky
      of Russia, and of the Legion of
      Honour of France, Knight
      of the First Class of the
      Nischam Iltijar of Turkey, of
      that of the Order of Leopold
      of Austria, and of that of
      the Sun and Lion of Persia,
      member of the Royal Spanish
      Academy, and of the Academy
      of History, and of that of
      St Ferdinand, and Honorary
      Member of the Academy of
      St Charles of Valencia, Deputy
      To the Cortes, and First
      Secretary of State for Foreign
      affairs of Her Catholic Majesty
      etc,etc.;
                                          Who
      


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      Who, after having
      communicated to each other
      their respective Full Powers,
      found in good and due
      form, have agreed upon
      and concluded the following
      Articles:-
      
            Article I.
      
      From and after the date
      on which, according to the
      provisions of Article XIII, the
      present Convention shall come
      into operation, the Authors of
      works of Literature or of art,
      to whom the laws of either of
      the two Countries do now or
      may hereafter give the right
      of property, or copyright, shall
      be entitled to exercise that
      right in the territories of the
                                          other
      



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      other of such Countries for the
      same term, and to the same
      extent, as the Authors of
      works of the same nature, if
      published in such other
      Country, would therein be
      entitled to exercise such right,
      so that the republication or
      piracy, in either Country, of
      any works of literature of or art
      published in the other shall
      be dealt with in the same
      manner as the republication
      or piracy of a work of the same
      nature first published in each
      other Country; and so that
      such authors in the one
      Country shall have the same
      Remedies before the Courts of
      Justice in the other Country,
      and shall enjoy in that other
      Country the same protection
                                          against
      


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      against piracy and unauthorized
      republication, as the law now
      does or may hereafter grant to
      Authors in that Country.
      
      The terms “works of literature
      “or of art”, employed at the
      beginning of this Article, shall
      be understood to comprise
      publications of books, of dramatic
      works, of musical compositions,
      of drawing, of painting, of sculpture,
      of engraving, of lithography,
      and of any other works whatsoever
      of literature and of the fine arts.
      
      The lawful representatives
      or assigned of authors, translators
      Composers, Painters, Sculptors, or
      Engravers, shall, in all respects,
      enjoy the same rights which
      by the present Convention are
      granted to the Authors, Translators,
      Composers, Painters, Sculptors,
                                          or
      


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      or Engravers themselves.
      
            Article II.
      
      The protection granted to
      original works is extended to
      translations; it being, however,
      clearly understood that the
      intention of the present Article
      is simply to protect a Translator
      in respect of his own translation,
      and that it is not intended to
      confer upon the first translator
      of any Work the exclusive right
      of translating that work, except
      in the case and to the extent
      provided for in the following
      Article.
      
            Article III.
      
      The Author of any Work
                                          published
      


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      published in ether of the two
      Countries, who may choose to
      reserve the right of translating
      it, shall, until the expiration of
      five years from the date of the
      first publication of the translation
      thereof authorized by him, be,
      in the following cases, entitled
      to protection from the publication
      in the other Country of any
      translation of such work not
      so authorized by him:-
      
      1.If the original Work shall
      have been registered and deposited
      in the one Country within three
      months after its first publication
      in the other;
      
      2.If the Author has notified
      on the title-page of his work his
      intention to reserve the rights of
      translation it;
      
      3.Provided always, that at
                                          least
      



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      least a part of the authorized
      translation shall have appeared
      within a year after the
      registration and deposit of the
      original, and that the whole
      shall have been published
      within three years after the
      date of such deposit;
      
      4. And provided that the
      publication of the translation
      shall take place within one of
      the two Countries, and that
      it shall be registered and
      deposited according to the
      provisions of article VIII.
      
      With regard to works which
      are published in parts, it
      will be sufficient if the
      declaration of the Author
      that he reserves the right of
      translation shall appear in
      the first part. But with
                                          reference
      


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      reference to the period of five
      years limited by this Article
      for the exercise of the exclusive
      right of translation, each part
      shall be treated as a separate
      work, and each part shall be
      registered and deposited in
      the one Country within three
      months after its first publication
      in the other.
      
            Article IV.
      
      The stipulation of the
      preceding Articles shall also be
      applicable to the representation
      of dramatic works, and the
      performance of musical
      compositions, in so far as the
      Laws of each of the two
      Countries are or shall be applicable
      in this respect to dramatic
                                          and
      


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      and musical works first
      publically represented or
      performed therein.
      
      In order, however, to entitle
      the Authors to legal protection
      in regard to the translation
      of a dramatic work, such
      translation must appear
      within three months after
      the registration and deposit
      of the original.
      
      It is understood that
      the protection stipulated by
      the present Article is not
      intended to prohibit fair
      imitations, or adaptations of
      dramatic works to the stage
      in England and Spain
      respectively, but is only meant
      to prevent piratical trans-
      lations.
      
      The question whether a
                                          work
      


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       work is an imitation or a
       piracy, shall in all cases be
       decided by the two Courts of
       Justice of the respective Countries,
       according to the laws in
       force in each.
      
             Article V.
      
       Notwithstanding the
       stipulations of Articles I and
       II of the present Convention,
       articles extracted from Newspapers
       or Periodicals published in either
       of the two Countries, may be
       republished or translated in
       the Newspapers or Periodicals of
       the other Country, provided the
       source from where such Articles
       are taken be acknowledged.
      
       Nevertheless, this permission
       shall not be contrived to
                                          authorize
      


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      authorize the republication in
      one of the two Countries, of
      articles other than those of
      political discussion, from
      Newspapers or Periodicals published
      in the other Country, the
      Authors of which shall have
      notified in a conspicuous
      manner in the Journal or
      Periodical in which such
      Articles have appeared, that
      they forbid the re-publication
      thereof.
      
            Article VI
      
      The importation into and
      the sale in either of the two
      Countries of piratical copies of
      works which are protected
      from piracy under Articles I,II,III
      and V of the present Convention
                                          are
      


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      are prohibited, whether such
      piratical copies originate in
      the Country where the work
      was published, or in any
      other Country.
      
            Article VII.
      
      In the event of an
      infraction of the provisions
      of the foregoing Articles, the
      pirated works or articles shall
      be seized and destroyed; and
      the persons who may have
      committed such infraction
      shall be liable in each
      Country to the penalties and
      actions which are or may be
      prescribed by the Laws of
      that Country for such
      offenses, committed in respect
      of a work or production of
                                          home
      


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      home origen.
      
            Article VIII.
      
      Neither Authors, nor
      Translators, nor their lawful
      representatives and Assigned, shall
      be entitled in either Country to
      the protection stipulated by the
      preceding Articles, nor shall
      Copyright be claimable in either
      Country, unless the Work shall
      have been registered in the
      manners following, that is
      to say:-
      
      1.If the work be one that
      has first appeared in Spain,
      it must be registered at the
      Hall of the Company of Stationers
      in London;
      
      2.If the work be one that
      has first appeared in the
                                          Dominions
      


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       Dominions of Her Britannic
       Majesty, it must be registered
       at the Ministry of Public Works
       (Ministerio de Fomento) at Madrid.
      
       No person shall be entitled
       to such protection as aforesaid,
       unless he shall have duly
       complied with the laws and
       regulations of the respective
       Countries in regard to the
       work in respect of which such
       protection may be claimed.
       With regard to Books, Maps
       and Prints, and also with
       regard to dramatic works and
       musical compositions (unless
       such dramatic works and
       musical compositions shall be
       in manuscript only), no person
       shall be entitle to such
       protection unless he shall
       have delivered gratuitously,
                                          at
      


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      at one or other of the places
      mentioned above, as the case
      may be, one copy of the best
      edition, or in the best state,
      in order to its being deposited
      at the place appointed for
      that purpose in each of the
      two Countries; that is to say,
      in Great Britain, at the
      British Museum at London,
      and in Spain, at the National
      Library at Madrid.
      
      In every case, the formality
      of deposit and registration
      must be fulfilled within
      three months after the first
      publication of the Work in
      the other Country.- With
      regard to Works published in
      parts, each part shall be
      treated as a separate work.
      
      A certified copy of the
                                          entry
      


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      entry in the Register Book of
      the Company of Stationers in
      London shall confer, within
      the British Dominions, the
      exclusive right of re-publication,
      until a better right shall have
      been established by any other
      Party before a Court of Justice.
      
      The Certificate given under
      the laws of Spain, providing the
      registration of any work in that
      Country, shall be valid for the
      same purpose throughout the
      Territories of the Catholic
      Majesty.
      
      A Certificate or certified Copy
      of the registration of any work
      so registered in either Country
      shall, if required, be delivered
      at the time of registration;
      and such Certificate shall state
      the exact date at which the
                                          registration
      


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      registration was made.
      
      The charge for the
      registration of a single work,
      under the stipulations of this
      Article, shall not exceed one
      shilling in England, nor five
      rials vellon in Spain; and the
      further charge for a Certificate
      of such registration shall not
      exceed the sum of five
      shillings in England, nor
      twenty-five rials vellon in
      Spain.
      
      The provisions of this
      Article shall not extend to
      articles which may appear in
      Newspapers or Periodicals; which
      shall be protected from repub-
      lication or translation simply
      by a notice from the Author,
      as prescribed by Article V. But
      if any Article or work which
                                          has
      


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      has originally appeared in a
      newspaper or periodical shall
      afterwards be published in a
      separate form, it shall then
      become subject to the stipu-
      lations of the present Article.
      
            Article IX      
      
      With regard to any
      Article other that books,
      prints, maps, and musical
      publications, in respect to
      which protection may be
      claimable under Article I
      of the present Convention,
      it is agreed, that any
      other mode of registration
      than that prescribed in
      the preceding Article, which
      is or may be applicable
      by law in one of the two
                                          Countries
      


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      Countries to any work or
      article first published in such
      Country, for the purposes of
      affording protection to copyright
      in such work or article, shall
      be extended on equal terms
      to ay similar work or
      article first published in
      the other Country.
      
            Article X.
      
      In order to facilitate the
      execution of the present
      Convention, the two High
      Contracting Parties engage to
      communicate to each other
      the laws and regulations
      which may hereafter be
      established in their respective
      Territories, with respect to
      Copyright in works or
                                          productions
      


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      productions protected by the
      stipulations of the present Convention.
      
            Article XI.
      
      The stipulations of the
      present Convention shall in no
      way affect the right which
      each of the two High Contracting
      Parties expressly reserved to itself,
      of controlling or of prohibiting,
      by measures of legislation or of
      internal police, the sale,
      circulation, representation, or
      exhibition of any work or
      production in regard to which
      either Country may deem it
      expedient to exercise that
      right.
      
      
                  Article XII.


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            Article XII.
      
      Nothing in this Convention
      shall be construed to
      affect the right of
      either of the two High
      Contracting Parties to
      prohibit the importation
      into its own Dominions
      of such books as, by its
      internal law or under
      engagements with other
      States, are or may be declared
      to be piracies, or infringements
      of Copyright.
      
            Article XIII.
      
      The present Convention shall
      come into operation as soon as
      possible after the exchange of
      the Ratifications. Due notice
                                          shall
      


Chapter 1 Page 30


                        
                        
      shall be given beforehand in
      each Country, by the Government
      of that Country, of the day
      which may be fixed upon for
      its coming into operation; and
      the stipulations of the Convention
      shall apply only to works or
      articles published after that day.
      
      The Convention shall continue
      in force for six years from the
      day on which it may come
      into operation; and if neither
      Party shall, twelve months
      before the expiration of the
      said period of six years, give
      notice of its intention to
      terminate its operation, the
      Convention shall continue in
      force for a year longer, and
      so on from years to years, until
      the expiration of a year’s notice
      from either Party for its
                                          termination.
      


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       termination.
      
      The High Contracting
      Parties, however, reserve to
      themselves the power of
      making by common consent,
      in this Convention, any
      modifications which may
      not be inconsistent with its
      spirit and principles, and
      which experience of its making
      may show to be desirable.
      
            Article XIV.
      
      The present Convention
      shall be ratified, and the
      Ratifications shall be
      exchanged at Madrid as
      soon as may be within
      three months from the date
      of signature.
      
      In Witness whereof
                                          the
      


Chapter 1 Page 32


                        
                        
      the respective Plenipotentiaries
      have signed the same in
      duplicated, and have affixed
      thereto their respective Seals.
      
      Done at Madrid, on the
      seventh day of July, in the
      Year of Our Lord One Thousand
      Eight Hundred and Fifty –Seven
      
                  Howden
      
      
      
      We having been seen and considered the Convention
      aforesaid, have approved, accepted, and confirmed the same
      in all and every one of its Articles and Clauses, as We do by
      these Presents approve, accept, confirm, and ratify it for
      ourselves, our heirs, and sucessors: Engaging and
      Promising whom our Royal Ward, that We will sincerely
      and faithfully perform and observe all and singular the
      things which are contained and expressed in the Convention
      aforesaid, and that we will never suffer the same to be
                                                            violated
      



Chapter 1 Page 33


                        
                        
violated by any one, or transgressed in any manner, as far
as it lies in our Power. For the greater Testimony and
Validity of all which, We have caused the Great Seal of
Our United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to be
affixed to these Presents, which We have signed with
Our Royal Hand. Given at Our Court at Osborne
House, the Twentieth day of August, in the Year
of Our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty Seven,
and in the Twenty First year of Our Reign


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