 | It has been suggested that American piracy of British literature be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since July 2024. |
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| Other short titles | Chace Act |
|---|---|
| Long title | An act to amend Title LX, Chapter 3, of the Revised Statutes of the United States, relating to copyrights |
| Enacted by | the 51st United States Congress |
| Effective | July 1, 1891 |
| Legislative history | |
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The International Copyright Act of 1891 (26 Stat. 1106, March 3, 1891) is the first U.S. congressional act that extended limited protection to foreign copyright holders from select nations. Formally known as the "International Copyright Act of 1891", but more commonly referred to as the "Chace Act" after Sen. Jonathan Chace of Rhode Island.
The International Copyright Act of 1891 was the first U.S. congressional act that offered copyright protection in the United States to citizens of countries other than the United States. The act allowed the President to enter the United States in bilateral copyright treaties, extending copyright to the works of nationals from signatory countries and receiving copyright for the works of Americans in that signatory country.
The act was passed on March 3, 1891, by the 51st Congress. The Act went into effect on July 1, 1891. On July 3, 1891, the first foreign work, a play called Saints and Sinners by British author Henry Arthur Jones, was registered under the act.