Although Arthur did not believe the outcome would be as good as Francis Baring boasted to him, at least Baring's shareholding would definitely help curb the rampant piracy of British literary works by American publishers.
Even if it cannot be completely eradicated, catching a few typical cases and forcing those country bumpkins to come to London for negotiations would be worthwhile.
After all, according to the current American "Copyright Act," American publishers pirating "British" works is not even illegal, because neither American copyright law nor the patent office protects foreign rights.
The American Government not only does not exclude the theft of European copyrights and patents, but even openly encourages and supports it.
Washington once praised Thomas Diggs, an American commercial spy who had been imprisoned several times in Britain, as "not only friendly but also full of enthusiasm."
