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.
1662* | Licensing Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1662 | Licensing Act (parchment copy) (United Kingdom) |
1693 | Locke's Memorandum on the 1662 Act (United Kingdom) |
1695 | Reasons for objecting to the renewal of the Licensing Act (United Kingdom) |
1762* | Tonson v. Collins (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1762 | A Vindication of the Rights of Authors (United Kingdom) |
1769* | Millar v. Taylor (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1773 | Information for Messrs John Hinton et al (United Kingdom) |
1773 | Information for Alexander Donaldson (United Kingdom) |
1774* | Donaldson v. Becket (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1774 | Hargrave's Argument in Defence of Literary Property (United Kingdom) |
1774 | The Cases of the Appellants and Respondents (United Kingdom) |
1814 | Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (18 July) (United Kingdom) |
1818 | Select Committee Report on the Copyright Acts (United Kingdom) |
1818 | Select Committee Report: Minutes of Evidence (United Kingdom) |
1828* | Maugham's Treatise (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1834* | Wheaton v. Peters (United States) |
1834* | Wheaton v. Peters Independent Report (United States) |
1841 | Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (29 Jan.) (United Kingdom) |
1842* | Lowndes' Historical Sketch of the Law of Copyright (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1847* | A Treatise on the Law of Copyright (United States) Commentary: [1] |
1854* | Jeffreys v. Boosey (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1870* | Copinger's Law of Copyright (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1878* | Royal Commissioners' Report (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1878 | Royal Commission on Copyright: Minutes of Evidence (United Kingdom) |
1883 | Burrow-Giles' Brief (United States) |