554.A2/7
The Italian Ambassador (De Martina) to the Secretary of State
The Italian Ambassador presents his compliments to His Excellency the Secretary of State and has the honor to inform him that [Page 399] during the month of October 1927 there will be held in Rome an International Conference on Copyright to which it is the earnest desire of the Royal Italian Government that the Government of the United States send its delegates.
Whilst conveying this invitation, the Italian Ambassador has the honor to communicate that this Conference is in pursuance of the Convention held in Berne during the year 1886, when the desirability of periodical revisions of the Convention was agreed upon, and he has further the honor to recall that at the last Conference, held in Berlin in 1908, the proposal was unanimously approved to have the next meeting within ten years in the City of Rome. On account of the World War this event was postponed, but the time is now considered ripe for it to take place.
With the occasion the Ambassador has the honor to call attention to the fact that when the last Conferences took place in Paris (1896) and in Berlin (1908) invitations to participate were extended also to many States not belonging to the Union and that the delegates of these States who will attend the Conference in Rome will enjoy full liberty of action and will be able to follow its work and deliberations without however engaging themselves in any way whatever.
The Royal Italian Government trusts that, irrespective of the present state of legislation on Copyright in the various countries, the States not belonging to the Union will also participate to the Conference and leaves it, of course, to them to decide on the advisability of endowing their respective delegates with full powers in case adherence to the International Copyright Convention at Berne were desired.