CHAP. I.—OF PIRATING THE COPYRIGHT IN PRINTED BOOKS

SECT. I.—Of Original Works

It would, perhaps, be unreasonable to expect, that any full and precise definition should have been made of the extent to which a writer may lawfully quote or extract from the works of his predecessors. The courts have generally confined themselves to the decision of the mere point in litigation. The general principle, however, may be collected to be, that extracts made in a bona fide manner, are justifiable. According to some authorities, however, they must not be so extensive as to injure the sale of the original work, even though made with no intention to invade the previous author; nor must they be speciously or colorably adapted from the original into a form differing only in appearance and manner of composition.