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.
1559 | Day's The Cosmographical Glass (United Kingdom) |
1559* | Day's privilege for The Cosmographical Glass (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1709 | Reasons Humbly Offer'd to the Consideration of the Honourable House of Commons (United Kingdom) |
1741* | Pope v. Curl (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1741 | Pope's Bill of Complaint, and Curl's Answer (United Kingdom) |
1741 | Pope v Curl: Entry from the Court's Book of Orders (United Kingdom) |
1763* | Diderot's Letter on the book trade (France) Commentary: [1] |
1773 | Information for Messrs John Hinton et al (United Kingdom) |
1774* | Donaldson v. Becket (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1774 | The Pleadings of the Counsel before the House (United Kingdom) |
1778* | Pluquet's letters (France) Commentary: [1] |
1801* | Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1801 | A Bill for the Further Encouragement of Learning (United Kingdom) |
1813 | Petition of the Printers of London and Westminster (United Kingdom) |
1813 | Select Committee Report: Minutes of Evidence (United Kingdom) |
1814* | Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1814 | Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (10 May) (United Kingdom) |
1814 | Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (18 July) (United Kingdom) |
1814 | Bill to amend Acts for the Encouragement of Learning (18 May) (United Kingdom) |
1814 | Bill to amend Acts for the Encouragement of Learning (7 June) (United Kingdom) |
1814 | Bill to amend Acts for the Encouragement of Learning (12 July) (United Kingdom) |
1814 | Bill to amend Acts for the Encouragement of Learning (15 July) (United Kingdom) |
1818 | Select Committee Report: Minutes of Evidence (United Kingdom) |
1828* | Maugham's Treatise (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1830 | Dramatic Writings Bill (United Kingdom) |
1832 | Select Committee Report: Dramatic Literature (United Kingdom) |
1832 | Parliamentary Debates on Drama and Dramatic Literature (31 May) (United Kingdom) |
1833* | Dramatic Literary Property Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1833 | Bill to amend the Laws relating to Dramatic Literary Property (United Kingdom) |
1836 | Copyright in Prints and Engravings (Ireland) Act (United Kingdom) |
1837 | Copyright Bill (6 June) (United Kingdom) |
1838* | International Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1838 | Parliamentary Debates on the International Copyright Act (20 March) (United Kingdom) |
1838 | Copyright Bill (27 Feb.) (United Kingdom) |
1838 | Copyright Bill (6 June) (United Kingdom) |
1839 | Copyright Bill (United Kingdom) |
1840 | Copyright Bill (United Kingdom) |
1841 | Copyright Bill (United Kingdom) |
1841* | Report of Lamartine and parliamentary debates on literary property (France) |
1842* | Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1842* | Lowndes' Historical Sketch of the Law of Copyright (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1842 | Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (6 April) (United Kingdom) |
1842 | Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (9 May) (United Kingdom) |
1842 | Bill to Amend the Law of Copyright (4 March) (United Kingdom) |
1842 | Bill to Amend the Law of Copyright (23 March) (United Kingdom) |
1842 | Bill to Amend the Law of Copyright (21 April) (United Kingdom) |
1842 | Memorial of a Number of Persons Concerned in Printing and Publishing (United States) |
1846* | Bilateral Treaty between Prussia and Great Britain (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1851 | Anglo-French Copyright Treaty (United Kingdom) |
1853 | Blaine's Laws of Artistic Copyright (United Kingdom) |
1853 | Letters on International copyright (United States) |
1853 | British-American Copyright Convention Draft (United States) |
1857 | Return of Colonies and British Possessions on Importation of Reprints (United Kingdom) |
1858 | Report of the Artistic Copyright Committee (United Kingdom) |
1861 | Fine Art Copyright Bill (United Kingdom) |
1862* | Fine Art Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1862 | Fine Art Copyright Bill (27 Feb.) (United Kingdom) |
1862 | Fine Art Copyright Bill (20 March) (United Kingdom) |
1869 | Artistic Copyright Bill, London (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) |
1879 | Copyright Consolidation Bill (United Kingdom) |
1886 | Berne Convention (United Kingdom) |
1899 | Artistic Copyright Bill, London (United Kingdom) |
1900 | Artistic Copyright Bill, London (United Kingdom) |