The pirate publisher—an international burlesque that has the longest run on record by joseph ferdinand keppler, published as a centrefold in puck, v. 18, no. 468, (1886 february 24). A commentary on the state of copyright laws at the time, that generally offered no protection to people outside of their own country. Hordes of germans, norwegians, french, english, and american authors surround a publisher who takes their newly-created works and republishes them without credit in a different country - as the law then allowed. Of note is w. S. Gilbert on the right, as the issues with pirate productions of h. M. S. Pinafore caused him and sullivan to première the pirates of penzance in america, to at least gain the initial profits there before anyone could exploit it. The title and subject of the pirates of penzance is generally considered to at least be a nod to the issue of pirate productions of their works. Date: 1886.
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