PRIMARY SOURCES

ON COPYRIGHT

(1450-1900)


This is a freely-accessible, publicly-funded digital archive that collects together significant documents relating to the history of copyright law and practice. The documents have been selected by national editors, with the input of an editorial advisory board. Key documents are, where appropriate, transcribed and translated. The editors have written commentaries, explaining the reasons for selecting documents and their significance. The project was launched in 2008, initially funded by the AHRC in relation to 5 countries. Since 2024 it is supported by the AHRC as UK research infrastructure. The archive now extends to more than 20 (including historical and religious) jurisdictions and over 700 primary source documents. They can be browsed by date/language/jurisdiction, or searched.


All | Vatican | United States | | Italy | France | United Kingdom | Spain | Germany | Portugal | Jewish Law


All documents: Institution Parliament

Back | Search term in commentaries | 54 results(* indicates core document)

1559* Elizabethan Injunctions (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1624* Statute of Monopolies (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1643* The Humble Remonstrance of the Stationers' Company (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1643An Ordinance for the Regulation of Printing (United Kingdom)
1647Ordinance against Unlicensed or Scandalous Pamphlets (United Kingdom)
1649An Act against Unlicensed and Scandalous Books and Pamphlets (United Kingdom)
1653An Act for reviving [the 1649 Act] (United Kingdom)
1662* Licensing Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1663L'Estrange's Considerations and Proposals (United Kingdom)
1695Reasons for objecting to the renewal of the Licensing Act (United Kingdom)
1704* Defoe's Essay on the Press (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1709More Reasons Humbly Offer'd for the Bill for the Encouragement of Learning (United Kingdom)
1710* Statute of Anne (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1735The Case of Designers, Engravers, Etchers, &c. (United Kingdom)
1774Hargrave's Argument in Defence of Literary Property (United Kingdom)
1774Booksellers' Bill (United Kingdom)
1774* Pütter: The Reprinting of Books (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1798* Models and Busts Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1798Models and Busts Act (parchment copy) (United Kingdom)
1801* Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1814Sculpture Copyright Act (United Kingdom)
1826Letter from Noah Webster to Daniel Webster (United States)
1828* Maugham's Treatise (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1830Judiciary Committee Report (United States)
1833* Dramatic Literary Property Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1833Bill to amend the Laws relating to Dramatic Literary Property (United Kingdom)
1835Publication of Lectures Bill (United Kingdom)
1838Parliamentary Debates on the International Copyright Act (19 July) (United Kingdom)
1838Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (25 April) (United Kingdom)
1838Copyright Bill (27 Feb.) (United Kingdom)
1838Copyright Bill (6 June) (United Kingdom)
1839Copyright Bill (United Kingdom)
1840Copyright Bill (United Kingdom)
1841Copyright Bill (United Kingdom)
1842* Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1842Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (6 April) (United Kingdom)
1842Bill to Amend the Law of Copyright (4 March) (United Kingdom)
1842Bill to Amend the Law of Copyright (23 March) (United Kingdom)
1842Bill to Amend the Law of Copyright (21 April) (United Kingdom)
1844* International Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1844International Copyright Bill (United Kingdom)
1847* A Treatise on the Law of Copyright (United States) Commentary: [1]
1847Foreign Reprints Bill (United Kingdom)
1852* International Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1853Letters on International copyright (United States)
1861Fine Art Copyright Bill (United Kingdom)
1862* Fine Art Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1862Parliamentary Debates on the Fine Art Copyright Act (22 May) (United Kingdom)
1862Fine Art Copyright Bill (27 Feb.) (United Kingdom)
1862Fine Art Copyright Bill (20 March) (United Kingdom)
1880* Kohler: Author's Right (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1886* International Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1886International Copyright Bill (United Kingdom)
1890Report on H.R. 10881 (United States)