Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why did Charles Dickens criticize the lack of copyright protection in the United States?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Portrait of Charles Dickens seated at a desk, writing with a quill pen, dressed in a suit with a bow tie. — Charles Dickens English novelist Charles Dickens working at his craft. Dickens published some of most beloved novels in English literature, including *A Christmas Carol*, *A Tale of Two Cities*, and *Great Expectations*.

During his 1842 tour of the United States, Charles Dickens criticized the country's lack of copyright protection because his works were being widely reproduced and sold without his authorization or compensation.12

Although millions of copies of his novels were sold in the American market, Dickens received no royalties for these editions. At the time, the absence of international copyright agreements allowed American publishers to engage in widespread "piracy," often rushing to print British works immediately upon their arrival in the country. While some publishers, such as Harper Brothers, occasionally provided voluntary payments to authors like Dickens, the general lack of legal protection meant that authors had no guaranteed control over their intellectual property.13

Dickens, who had viewed the United States as a "republic of his imagination," was deeply disillusioned by this practice, viewing it as a form of "sharp practice" that undermined the rights of creators. His vocal protests against this system contributed to the tensions he experienced during his visit, which he later documented in his writings.12