1906: 6 Edward 7 c.36: An Act to amend the law relating to Musical Copyright.
[4th August 1906.]
BE it enacted by the King’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
[Penalty for being in possession of pirated music.]
1. — (1) Every person who prints, reproduces, or sells, or exposes, offers, or has in his possession for sale, any pirated copies of any musical work, or has in his possession any plates for the purpose of printing or reproducing pirated copies of any musical work, shall (unless he proves that he acted innocently) be guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction, and shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds, and on a second or subsequent conviction to imprisonment with or without hard labour for a term not exceeding two months or to a fine not exceeding ten pounds: Provided that a person convicted of an offence under this Act who has not previously been convicted of such an offence, and who proves that the copies of the musical work in respect of which the offence was committed had printed on the title page thereof a name and address purporting to be that of the printer or publisher, shall not be liable to any penalty under this Act unless it is proved that the copies were to his knowledge pirated copies.
(2) Any constable may take into custody without warrant any person who in any street or public place sells or exposes, offers, or has in his possession for sale any pirated copies of any such musical work as may be specified in any general written authority addressed to the chief officer of police, and signed by the apparent owner of the copyright in such work or his agent thereto authorised in writing, requesting the arrest, at the risk of such owner, of all persons found committing offences under this section in respect to such work, or who offers for sale any pirated copies of any such specified musical work by personal canvass or by personally delivering advertisements or circulars.
(3) A copy of every written authority addressed to a chief officer of police under this section shall be open to inspection at all reasonable hours by any person without payment of any fee, and any person may take copies of or make extracts from any such authority.
(4) Any person aggrieved by a summary conviction under this section may in England or Ireland appeal to a court of quarter sessions, and in Scotland under and in terms of
[38 & 39 Vict. c. 62.]
the Summary Prosecutions Appeals (Scotland) Act, 1875.
[Right of entry by police for execution of Act.]
2. — (1) If a court of summary jurisdiction is satisfied by information on oath that there is reasonable ground for suspecting that an offence against this Act is being committed on any premises, the court may grant a search warrant authorising the constable named therein to enter the premises between the hours of six of the clock in the morning and nine of the clock in the evening, and, if necessary, to use force for making such entry, whether by breaking open doors or otherwise, and to seize any copies of any musical work or any plates in respect of which he has reasonable ground for suspecting *ihat an offence against this Act is being committed.
(2) All copies of any musical work and plates seized under this section shall be brought before a court of summary jurisdiction, and if proved to be pirated copies or plates intended to be used for the printing or reproduction of pirated copies shall be forfeited and destroyed or otherwise dealt with as the court think fit.
[Definitions.]
3. In this Act —
The expression “pirated copies” means any copies of any musical work written, printed, or otherwise reproduced without the consent lawfully given by the owner of the copyright in such musical work:
The expression “musical work” means a musical work in which there is a subsisting copyright, and which has been registered in accordance with the provisions of
[5 & 6 Vict. c. 45. 7 & 8 Vict. c. 12. 49 & 50 Vict. c. 33.]
the Copyright Act, 1842, or of the International Copyright Act, 1844, which registration may be effected notwithstanding anything in the International Copyright Act, 1886:
The expression “plates” includes any stereotype or other plates, stones, matrices, transfers, or negatives used or intended to be used for printing or reproducing copies of any musical work: Provided that the expressions “pirated copies“ and “plates” shall not, for the purposes of this Act, be deemed to include perforated music rolls used for playing mechanical instruments, or records used for the reproduction of sound waves, or the matrices or other appliances by which such rolls or records respectively are made:
The expression “chief officer of police” —
(a) with respect to the City of London, means the Commissioner of City Police;
[53 & 54 Vict: c. 45.]
(b) elsewhere in England has the same meaning as in the Police Act, 1890;
[53 & 54 Vict. c. 67.]
(c) in Scotland has the same meaning as in the Police (Scotland) Act, 1890;
(d) in the police district of Dublin metropolis means either of the Commissioners of Police for the said district;
(e) elsewhere in Ireland means the District Inspector of the Royal Irish Constabulary:
The expression “court of summary jurisdiction” in Scotland means the sheriff or any magistrate of any royal, parliamentary, or police burgh officiating under the provisions of any local or general police Act.
[Short title.]
4. This Act may be cited as the Musical Copyright Act, 1906.
Source: Law Reports Public General Statutes, volume 44, 1906.