Copyright Act, 1963

Delivery of books to certain libraries.

56.—(1) The publisher of any book first published in the State after the commencement of this section shall, within one month after the publication, deliver, at his own expense, a copy of the book to the trustees of the National Library of Ireland, a copy of the book to the authority having control of the Library of Trinity College, Dublin, four copies of the book for or in accordance with the directions of the authority having control of the National University of Ireland for the use of the respective libraries of the three constituent Colleges of that University and of the library of St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, a recognised College of that University, and a copy of the book to the trustees of the British Museum, and such trustees and authorities respectively shall give a written receipt for every book so delivered to them:

Provided that the Minister may, on the application of the trustees of the National Library of Ireland, or of the authority having control of the Library of Trinity College, Dublin, or of any of the respective authorities having control of the three constituent Colleges of the National University of Ireland or St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, or of the trustees of the British Museum, make regulations excepting from the provisions of this subsection in regard to the trustees or authority making the application, publications wholly or mainly in the nature of trade advertisements, or such classes of such publications as may be specified in the regulations, and thereupon it shall not be necessary for the publisher of any publication so excepted to deliver the publication to such trustees or authority or for such trustees or authority to give a receipt therefor, unless as respects any particular publication a written demand for the delivery thereof is made by such trustees or authority.

(2) The publisher of any book first published in the State after the commencement of this section shall also, if written demand is made before the expiration of twelve months after publication, deliver within one month after receipt of that written demand or, if the demand was made before publication, within one month after publication, to some address in Dublin named in the demand a copy of that book for, or in accordance with the directions of, the authority having the control of each of the following libraries, namely: the Bodleian Library, Oxford, the University Library, Cambridge, the National Library of Scotland, and the National Library of Wales. In the case of an encyclopaedia, newspaper, review, magazine or work published in a series of numbers or parts, the written demand may include all numbers or parts of the work which may be subsequently published.

(3) A copy of a book delivered to the trustees of the National Library of Ireland or the trustees of the British Museum in pursuance of the provisions of this section shall be a copy of the whole book with all maps and illustrations belonging thereto, finished and coloured in the same manner as the best copies of the book are published, and shall be bound, sewed or stitched together, and be printed on the best paper on which the book is printed.

(4) A copy of a book delivered to any of the other authorities mentioned in this section in pursuance of the provisions of this section shall be printed on the paper on which the largest number of copies of the book is printed for sale, and shall be in the like condition as the books prepared for sale.

(5) If a publisher fails to comply with this section, he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds and the value of the book, and the fine shall be paid to the trustees or authority to whom the book ought to have been delivered.

(6) For the purposes of this section, “book” includes every part or division of a book, pamphlet, sheet of letterpress, sheet of music, map, plan, chart or table separately published, but shall not include any second or subsequent edition of a book unless such edition contains additions or alterations either in the letterpress or in the maps, prints, or other engravings belonging thereto.