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.
1553* | Totell's Printing Patent (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1558 | Phayer's privilege for Virgil's Aeneid (United Kingdom) |
1559 | Day's The Cosmographical Glass (United Kingdom) |
1559* | Day's privilege for The Cosmographical Glass (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1559 | Jugge and Cawood's printing patent for statute books (United Kingdom) |
1559 | Seres' patent for Primers and Psalters (United Kingdom) |
1559 | Totell's patent for Common Law Books (United Kingdom) |
1647 | Ordinance against Unlicensed or Scandalous Pamphlets (United Kingdom) |
1662* | Licensing Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1662 | Licensing Act (parchment copy) (United Kingdom) |
1710* | Statute of Anne (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1735* | Engravers' Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1735 | The Case of Designers, Engravers, Etchers, &c. (United Kingdom) |
1735 | Engravers' Copyright Act (parchment copy) (United Kingdom) |
1737 | An Act for the Encouragement of Learning (Draft) (United Kingdom) |
1766 | Engravers' Copyright Act (United Kingdom) |
1769* | Millar v. Taylor (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1773 | Information for Alexander Donaldson (United Kingdom) |
1774 | The Cases of the Appellants and Respondents (United Kingdom) |
1774 | Booksellers' Bill (United Kingdom) |
1812 | Petition of the London Booksellers (United Kingdom) |
1813 | Petition of the Printers of London and Westminster (United Kingdom) |
1813 | Petition of the Edinburgh Booksellers (United Kingdom) |
1818 | Select Committee Report: Minutes of Evidence (United Kingdom) |
1832 | Select Committee Report: Dramatic Literature (United Kingdom) |
1832 | Parliamentary Debates on Drama and Dramatic Literature (31 May) (United Kingdom) |
1833 | Parliamentary Debates on the Dramatic Literary Property Act (12 March) (United Kingdom) |
1835* | Publication of Lectures Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1835 | Publication of Lectures Bill (United Kingdom) |
1842* | Lowndes' Historical Sketch of the Law of Copyright (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1862* | Fine Art Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |