Mr. Gresham to Mr. Pitkin.
Washington , May 23, 1893 .
Sir: The Department’s instruction of May 1, 1891, inclosed copies of an act of Congress entitled “An act to amend title 60, chapter 3, of the Revised Statutes of the United States relating to copyrights,” and directed you to present a copy of the law to the Government to which you are accredited, inviting attention to the fact that the benefits of the statute are extended to the citizens of foreign states only after a proclamation of the President to be issued under conditions specified in section 13.
No response accepting the provisions of this act having been received from the Government to which you are accredited, the Department wishes you again to call the attention of that Government to the subject with a view of ascertaining whether it is disposed to avail itself of the privilege offered by section 13 of the act.
The governments whose laws permit to citizens of the United States the benefit of copyright on substantially the same basis as to their own citizens or subjects, and in whose favor the President has issued his proclamation, are Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain and the British Possessions, Italy, and Switzerland.
I am, etc.,