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    Core documents by: Date Place Core documents for: Italy Germany France Britain United States All documents for: Italy Germany France Britain United States Original language: English French German Italian Latin Browse documents by: Person ... by name ... by occupation ... by life dates Place Institution Legislation Case law Browse commentaries by: Person ... by name ... by occupation ... by life dates Place Institution Legislation Case law Browse database by: Key words Editors' login:  | | Dramatic Act, (1780) Source: Archives nationales, 01/844 (document conservé aux Archives nationales, Paris) Citation: Dramatic Act (1780), Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900), eds L. Bently & M. Kretschmer, www.copyrighthistory.org Record Images Record-ID: f_1780b Full title Decree of the Council of State of the King on dramatic authors Full title original language N/A Abstract The ruling of 9 December 1780 is the last important legislative act of the ancien régime regarding the performance of plays for the stage. The aim which was almost desperately being pursued through this legislation was to settle once and for all the long dispute which had been going on between the actors of the Comédie-Française and France's leading dramatic authors, concerning the remuneration due to the latter and what its limits were - that is, at what point the 'fall' ('chute') of a play according to the rules ('dans les règles') was considered to have taken place and the company was no longer obliged to pay its author any royalties. In the forefront of this dispute we find, of course, Beaumarchais, who effectively had the authority of a 'commissaire des gens de lettres' thanks to his leading role in the foundation of the Society of Playwrights in 1777. A few months before the King's Council's ruling, in May 1780, Beaumarchais had in fact managed to secure an agreement with the actors of the Comédie, regarding royalties and the minimum level of ticket sales which a play had to generate if it was not to be considered to have 'fallen according to the rules', thereby becoming the theatre's property. In August of that same year, the author of "The Marriage of Figaro" had also drawn up his important Report on this long struggle (the so-called "Compte rendu de l'affaire des auteurs dramatiques et des comédiens français"). However, in spite of this agreement which recognised the "property right" of authors, and which had been approved by the King and confirmed by the ruling of December, the conflict between authors and the monopoly of the Comédie-Française would continue right up to the Revolution. Bibliography N/A Related documents in this database Author N/A Publisher N/A Location N/A Year 1780 Language French Source Archives nationales, 01/844 (document conservé aux Archives nationales, Paris) Physical description N/A Illustrations tables N/A Persons referred to Amelot de Chaillou, Antoine-Jean (1732-1795) Louis XVI (1754-1793) Persons referred to in commentary Beaumarchais, Pierre Augustin Caron de (1732-1799) Louis XVI (1754-1793) Places referred to Versailles Places referred to in commentary France Legislation referred to Comédie-Française regulations (1697) Comédie-Française regulations (1757) Royal letters patent 1761, reorganizing the administration and financing of the Comédie-Française Comédie-Française regulations (Decree of 9 December 1780) Legislation referred to in commentary Comédie-Française regulations (Decree of 9 December 1780) Cases referred to N/A Cases referred to in commentary N/A Institutions referred to Comédie-Française Council of the Comédie-Française (est. 1766) King's Council of State (France) Maison du Roi (French Royal Household) Institutions referred to in commentary Comédie-Française King's Council of State (France) Société des Auteurs Dramatiques (Society of Dramatic Authors, f.1777, now SACD) Key words authors' remuneration interest groups lobbying property theory, authors' property public performance reputation Responsible editor Frédéric Rideau Copyright status Original document is out of copyright. In so far as these scans are protected by copyright, they are made available on the same terms as translations and commentaries (see home page). | |||||
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| Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900), Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge, 10 West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DZ, UK | |||||||
