Mr. Merry to Mr.
Hay.
Legation of the United States of America,
San José, Costa Rica, August
30, 1899.
No. 305.]
Sir: I have the honor to forward herewith
decree (inclosure No. 1) to be published on September 4 by the
Government of Costa Rica, establishing international copyright between
the Republic and the United States. When proclamation is made at
Washington will you kindly send two copies thereof to this legation. As
the decree refers to the preexisting law on that subject, I also forward
a copy of the Official Gazette,1 dated June 30, 1896 (inclosure No. 2), for the
further information of the Department of State.
With assurances, etc.,
William Lawrence Merry,
United States Minister.
[Inclosure—Translation.]
Rafael Yglesias, Constitutional President of the
Republic of Costa Rica.
Inasmuch as the Federal law of the United States of North America
guarantees to foreigners the rights of literary ownership that the
laws of that Republic concede to its citizens, on the condition that
the nation of such foreigners declares equal advantages to the
citizens of North America;
In view of the action taken by the honorable envoy extraordinary and
minister plenipotentiary of the United States in Costa Rica that
there be made effective in the Republic the reciprocity assigned by
the American law, and in view of the final article of the law of
June 26, 1896, regarding literary proprietorship, which provides a
condition identical with that established by the law of the United
States, article —, single, decrees:
From the 4th of September of the present year the North American
citizen residing outside of Costa Rica shall enjoy in this Republic
the rights of literary
[Page 585]
ownership that the law referred to of June 26 establishes, on the
understanding that on that date a similar order will have been given
by the United States of North America with respect to the Costa
Rican citizens who do not reside in that country.
Given in the national palace in
San José, the 26th day of August,
1899.
- Rafael Yglesias.
- Justo A. Facio,
Subsecretary of State in the
Department of Foreign Relations.
