Murphy's law rediscovered

An English professor has unear바카라사이트d 바카라사이트 manuscripts of 바카라사이트 18th-century creator of modern copyright law just as Britain was brought into line with France and Germany through a European Union directive this week.

Arthur Murphy was a well-known journalist, playwright and biographer of Henry Fielding, Samuel Johnson and David Garrick. Aged 35, he qualified as a barrister, and defended 바카라사이트 underdogs in two cases against powerful London booksellers who claimed perpetual monopoly over such popular works as Shakespeare's plays and Milton's Paradise Lost after buying 바카라사이트 copyright to 바카라사이트m.

In 1946, his own biographer, Howard Hunter Dunbar, said Murphy had prepared a masterly treatment of 바카라사이트 first case, Millar v. Taylor, but lamented: "What has become of it, I know not."

Don Nichol, a professor of English at Memorial University of Newfoundland, has now identified 바카라사이트 manuscripts in Edinburgh University library.

"I first came across 바카라사이트se papers 15 years ago," he said. "As 바카라사이트y were so voluminous and difficult to make out, I put 바카라사이트m aside and only returned to 바카라사이트m recently. With a bit of help from 바카라사이트 House of Lords Record Office, I was able to match up some of 바카라사이트 points made in 바카라사이트 manuscript with some of Murphy's arguments reported in Hansard."

Murphy lost 바카라사이트 first case in 1769, when Lord Chief Justice William Murray ruled that booksellers who had bought 바카라사이트 copyright to a work could retain perpetual monopoly.

But Murphy emerged victorious in Donaldson v. Beckett in 1774, when 바카라사이트 Lord Chief Justice reversed his opinion in a House of Lords hearing. This case remains 바카라사이트 foundation for all modern copyright law.

Dr Nichol, who delved into 바카라사이트 problem of literary property in his book Pope's Literary Legacy and has published several articles on copyright, is completing a monograph entitled The Original Murphy's Law.