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.
| 1469* | Johannes of Speyer's Printing Monopoly (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
| 1474* | Venetian Statute on Industrial Brevets (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
| 1486* | Marco Antonio Sabellico's Printing Privilege (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
| 1498* | Ottaviano Petrucci's Music Patent (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
| 1502 | Aldus Manutius's Petition against Counterfeiters (Italy) |
| 1503* | Aldus Manutius's Warning against the Printers of Lyon (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
| 1504* | Privilege Granted to Benedetto Bordon (Italy) |
| 1516* | Appointment of Andrea Navagero as Literary Censor (Italy) |
| 1517* | Venetian Decree on Press Affairs (Italy) |
| 1526 | Papal and Venetian Privileges for Sigismondo Fanti's 'Triompho di Fortuna' (Italy) |
| 1545* | Venetian Decree on Author-Printer Relations (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
| 1545* | Antonio Catalano's Teaching Licence (Italy) |
| 1546* | Privilege Granted to Enea Vico (Parmigiano) (Italy) |
| 1549* | Decree Establishing the Venetian Guild of Printers and Booksellers (Italy) |
| 1549* | Statutes of the Venetian Guild of Printers and Booksellers (Italy) |
| 1550* | Rema Ruling re: Maharam of Padua (Jewish Law) Commentary: [1] |
| 1556 (1555 m.v.)* | Privilege Granted to Antonio Floriano (Italy) |
| 1556* | Privilege Granted to Giovanni Ostaus (Italy) |
| 1568* | Giorgio Vasari, Life of Marcantonio of Bologna and Other Engravers of Prints (Italy) |
| 1579* | Notice of Rabbinic Reprinting Ban (Jewish Law) |
| 1587* | Privilege to Giovanni Giolito di Ferrari for publication of Paolo Comitolo's "Catena in Beatissimum Job," and revocation of Jean Stratius' privilege in the same work (Vatican) Commentary: [1] |
| 1589* | Bosio's edition of the Statutes of the Knights of Malta (Vatican) Commentary: [1] |
| 1590* | Giovanni Fratta's 'On the Dedication of Books' (Italy) |
| 1596* | Motu proprio controversy (Italy) |
| 1603* | Venetian Decree on Privileges for New Books and Reprints (Italy) |
| 1606* | Reprinting Ban for Bedek Ha-Bayit (Jewish Law) |
| 1690s* | Memorandum on the dispute between the Parisian and the provincial booksellers (France) Commentary: [1] |
| 1740 | Venetian Decree Against Unauthorized Printing of Songs (Italy) |
| 1762* | An Enquiry into Literary Property (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
| 1769* | Millar v. Taylor (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
| 1776* | Fragments on the Freedom of the Press (France) Commentary: [1] |
| 1780* | 'Pezzana e Consorti' case: supporting documents (Italy) |
| 1781* | 'Pezzana e Consorti' case: counter-petition and rulings (Italy) |
| 1818 | Select Committee Report: Minutes of Evidence (United Kingdom) |
| 1838* | Remarks on Literary Property (Spain) |
| 1841* | Report of Lamartine and parliamentary debates on literary property (France) |
