ABSTRACT
Additionally, freeing printing and publication has a role in promoting science and literature and, until recently, the government spent money from its treasury to encourage authors by purchasing their books even if it did benefit from buying them. Egypt should join relevant international treaties connected with this to protect those rights abroad, for it is not appropriate for Egypt, having emulated the greatest civilized kingdoms in its administrative, political and judicial systems, for the rights of printing and publication in the country to remain in chaos. As Hilmi points out, the different circumstances between and Europe, the birthplace of modern copyright laws, and Egypt, where (despite a relative boom) authorship and translation remain scarce, should allow some leniency in the application of copyright laws. Zaidan may have been implicitly addressing this very point when he asserted in his 1905 article that Egypt had “emulated the greatest civilized kingdoms in its administrative, political and judicial systems”.
