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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:  | | Booksellers' Bill, London (1737) Source: British Library: BS 68/16.(1) Citation: Booksellers' Bill (1737), Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900), eds L. Bently & M. Kretschmer, www.copyrighthistory.org Record Images Commentary Record-ID: uk_1737 Full title Bill for the better Encouragement of Learning, and for the more effectual securing the Copies of Printed Books to the Authors or Purchasers of such Copies, during the Times therein mentioned Full title original language N/A Abstract This Bill marks the first occasion on which the British legislature proposed to confer upon authors a lifetime interest in their literary works (with an additional eleven year post-mortem term vesting in their estates), as well as limited rights of translation and abridgement. In addition the draft legislation proposed to render null and void any contract purporting to assign an author's rights to another for a period of longer than ten years. The commentary describes the background to the Bill, and in particular the attempts of the London book trade to secure more extensive legislative protection in both 1735 and 1737. It argues that the 1737 Bill is significant precisely because it was never made into law, and because it did not suit the best interests of the metropolitan booksellers. Instead, the book trade increasingly turned to the courts to further secure their commercial interests, giving rise to what is commonly referred to as the 'battle of the booksellers' throughout the next 40 years. Bibliography Deazley, R., On the Origin of the Right to Copy: Charting the Movement of Copyright Law in Eighteenth Century Britain (1695-1775) (Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2004) Feather, J., Publishing, Piracy and Politics: An Historical Study of Copyright in Britain (London: Mansell, 1994) Harris, M., "Scratching the surface: engravers, printsellers and the London book trade in the mid-18th century". In The Book Trade and its Customers, 1450-1900. Edited by A. Hunt, G. Mandelbrote and A. Shell (Winchester: St Paul's Bibliographies, 1990) Related documents in this database Author N/A Publisher N/A Location London Year 1737 Language English Source British Library: BS 68/16.(1) Physical description N/A Illustrations tables N/A Persons referred to Anne (1665-1714) George II (1683-1760) Henry VIII (1491-1547) Persons referred to in commentary Boyle, Richard, 3rd Earl of Burlington (1694-1753) Cave, Edward (1691-1754) Craggs, James, 'the Younger' (1686-1721) Curl, Edmund (1683-1747) Fermor, Arabella (d.1737) Halifax, Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of (1661-1715) Harley, Edward (1689-1741) Hogarth, William (1697-1764) Locke, John (1632-1704) Pope, Alexander (1688-1744) Pulteney, William (1684-1764) Swift, Jonathan (1667-1745) Trumbull, Sir William (1639-1716) Places referred to England London Netherlands Scotland Great Britain Places referred to in commentary England London Holland Scotland Great Britain Legislation referred to Statute of Anne, 1710, 8 Anne, c.19 Legislation referred to in commentary Licensing Act, 1662, 13 & 14 Car.II, c.33 Statute of Anne, 1710, 8 Anne, c.19 Stamp Act, 1711, 10 Anne, c.19 Engravers' Copyright Act, 1735, 8 Geo.II, c.13 Cases referred to N/A Cases referred to in commentary Baller v. Watson (1729-1737), NA, c.11 1739/34, 1272/7, 2427/24, 1272/17, 1272/18, 1727/16, 2433/14, 2434/18, 1738/35; c.33 351/305, 353/5, 353/38, 353/153, 353/202, 353/292, 353/401, 355/20, 355/27, 357/132, 357/249, 357/271, 357/272, 357/273, 357/419, 357/547, 359/378, 361/14, 361/17, 367/5, 367/23, 367/37, 367/83, 367/188, 369/315 Millar v. Taylor (1769) 4 Burr. 2303 Hinton v. Donaldson (1773) Donaldson v. Becket (1774) 4 Burr. 2408, 2 Bro. P.C. 129 Institutions referred to Bodleian Library, Oxford Court of Chancery Faculty of Advocates, Edinburgh Gray's Inn Inner Temple Lincoln's Inn Middle Temple Sion College, London Stationers' Company Stationers' Hall University of Cambridge University of Edinburgh University of Glasgow University of King's College, Aberdeen University of Oxford University of St Andrews Institutions referred to in commentary Gray's Inn House of Commons House of Lords Inner Temple Lincoln's Inn Middle Temple Parliament Stationers' Company Key words abridgements anonymous works contracts, regulation of deposit duration duration, post mortem term editions, new foreign reprints lobbying penalties, paid to publisher(s) property theory, authors' property registration translation, right of Responsible editor Ronan Deazley Copyright status (c) The British Library Board. All Rights Reserved, Licence No: 8716. Any copyright or database right that subsists in the Work or Reproduction remains the property either of the British Library Board or individual persons. The Work or Reproduction may not be used, sold, licensed, transferred, copied or reproduced in whole or in part in any manner or form or in or on any media to any person without the prior written consent of the British Library. Photographic images and scans of public domain documents may be protected under some copyright laws and/or contractual restrictions apply. If you wish to use images of this document in other contexts, please contact the relevant archive (see source). Translation and commentary fall under the project licence (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 | |||||||
