Quote:
Originally Posted by Giggleton
The lack of interest of most authors and publishers in copyright led Congress to reject, in the 1909 Act, a proposal that would have granted a term of life of the author plus thirty years. Such a term would have extended copyright well beyond what copyright owners had themselves shown they needed by their failure to renew after the first, twenty-eight-year grant."
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That data tells us that in the late 19th century, few publishers bothered with copyright. But it's now the early 21st century, and many things have changed.
One reason for the lack of interest in copyright protection may be that it was much harder to make copies in the late 19th century. Perhaps the publishers didn't really care much about copyright because the difficulty of copying would have more impact than the legal protection offered by copyright.
Of course, I don't know what went through the heads of late 19th century creators, but that's one possible explanation. I don't think the statistics you have given tell us anything about the modern era.