Prior to 1891 American copyright law did not recognise copyright for any non citizen. It allowed American publishers and newspapers to copy and print any overseas published work without payment of copyright and America was notorious for pilfering work from Britain and Europe. Hugely popular writers like Charles Dickens lost large amounts of money to American publishers, and when Dickens toured America he was pilloried by newspapers and publishers for speaking in support of international copyright laws. They accused him of greed.