From 1790 to 1891, the United States prevented foreign authors from obtaining domestic copyright protection, implicitly subsidizing a domestic reprinting industry. With foreign works a “free” and unprotected resource, American publishers created a system of voluntary norms, known as “trade courtesy” to create and enforce pseudo-property rights in uncopyrighted foreign works, simulating the effects of legal copyright protection. This paper analyzes this system using the Bloomington School’s institutional design principles to understand its effectiveness and pitfalls in managing the commons of unprotected foreign works in nineteenth Century America.

从 1790 年到 1891 年，美国阻止外国作者获得国内版权保护，暗中资助了国内的再版产业。由于外国作品是一种“免费”且不受保护的资源，美国出版商创建了一个自愿规范系统，称为“贸易礼貌”，以在未受版权保护的外国作品中创建和执行伪财产权，模拟合法版权保护的效果。本文使用布卢明顿学派的制度设计原则分析了该系统，以了解其在管理 19 世纪美国未受保护的外国作品的公地方面的有效性和缺陷。