in 1914 rees took an injunction (rees vs. robbins) against theatre managers walter and frederick robbins, better known as walter and frederick melville, for infringement of copyright. rees sought to prevent performances of the melville's play "'the beggar girl's wedding'" on the grounds that it had great similarities to a play she had written in 1906 called "'a beggar bride'" and which had been read by the melvilles";" she had changed the title of the play to "'a desperate marriage"' and it was performed in brighton in 1908. the court found there had been no infringement of copyright because as melodramas they would have many similarities in their plots and stock characters.