| Deeks v Wells | |
|---|---|
 H.G. Wells, the main defendant in the court case | |
| Court | Judicial Committee of the Privy Council |
| Full case name | Florence A. Deeks v H.G. Wells and others |
| Decided | November 3, 1932 |
| Citations | [1932] UKPC 66, 1932 CanLII 315 (UK JCPC), [1933] 1 DLR 353 |
| Case history | |
| Prior actions | Deeks v. Wells, 1931 CanLII 157, [1931] 4 DLR 533, [1931] OR 818 |
| Appealed from | Ontario Supreme Court (Appellate Division) |
| Court membership | |
| Judges sitting | Lord Atkin, Lord Tomlin, Lord Thankerton |
| Case opinions | |
| Decision by | Lord Atkin |
| Keywords | |
| Copyright, breach of trust, plagiarism | |
Deeks v Wells was a Canadian court case between a Canadian writer, Florence Deeks, and the English writer, H.G. Wells. Deeks alleged that Wells had plagiarised from her draft book, The Web of the World's Romance, in writing his own book, The Outline of History, thereby breaching her copyright. She also alleged breach of trust by the Canadian, American, and British Macmillan publishing companies. The case was finally decided in favour of Wells by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, at that time the highest court for the British Empire, including Canada.