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 documents: Keyword book market

Back | 59 results(* indicates core document)

1469* Johannes of Speyer's Printing Monopoly (Italy) Commentary: [1]
1501* Imperial Senate privilege to the Sodalitas Celtica (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1511* Imperial Privilege for Arnolt Schlick (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1515* Galliot Du Pré's Privilege (France) Commentary: [1]
1517* Venetian Decree on Press Affairs (Italy)
1531* Basel Printers' Statute (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1556* Privilege Granted to Giovanni Ostaus (Italy)
1586* Simon Marion's plea on privileges (France) Commentary: [1]
1596* Total Ban on Book Imports, Denmark–Norway (Scandinavia)
1650s* Vitré's memorandum on the prolongation of privileges (France)
1660* Frankfurt Printers' Ordinance (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1663L'Estrange's Considerations and Proposals (United Kingdom)
1666Henning: The Highly Lauded Bookmaker (Germany)
1690s* Memorandum on the dispute between the Parisian and the provincial booksellers (France) Commentary: [1]
1709Reasons Humbly Offer'd to the Consideration of the Honourable House of Commons (United Kingdom)
1721Printer Joachim Wielandt's Privilege for Popular Chapbooks, Denmark–Norway (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1]
1725-1726* Pierre-Jacques Blondel's memorandum (France) Commentary: [1]
1738* Thurneysen: On the Illicit Reprinting of Books (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1750Fritsch: Treatise on Book Printers, Booksellers, Paper Manufacturers and Bookbinders (Germany)
1762A Vindication of the Rights of Authors (United Kingdom)
1763* Diderot's Letter on the book trade (France) Commentary: [1]
1765Reich v. Pauli (Germany)
1774Enfield's Observations (United Kingdom)
1778* Pluquet's letters (France) Commentary: [1]
1781* 'Pezzana e Consorti' case: counter-petition and rulings (Italy)
1790* J.F.F. Ganz's draft for a general ban on reprinting within the whole Empire (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1799* Kehr: Apology of the Reprinting of Books (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1809* Baden Civil Code (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1813Petition of the Printers of London and Westminster (United Kingdom)
1813Select Committee Report: Minutes of Evidence (United Kingdom)
1814Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (18 July) (United Kingdom)
1818Select Committee Report: Minutes of Evidence (United Kingdom)
1830* Amended music publishers' agreement against piracy (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1834* Balzac's letter to authors (France)
1837Debates in Congress (United States)
1838Address of Certain Authors (United States)
1838Report, from the Committee on Patents (United States)
1838Memorial of the New York Typographical Society (United States)
1838Memorial of a Number of Citizens of Boston (United States)
1840* Bilateral Treaty between Austria and Sardinia (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1843An Address to the People of the United States (United States)
1846* Bilateral Treaty between Prussia and Britain (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1848Jay, Bryant and Others' Memorials (United States)
1853Letters on International copyright (United States)
1853Stowe v. Thomas, Complainant's Bill (United States)
1853Stowe v. Thomas, Defendant's Answer (United States)
1862Bretón de los Herreros' Copyright Contract (Spain)
1868* Proudhon: 'Les Majorats littéraires' (France)
1868* Colonial Copyright Extensions (Spain) Commentary: [1]
1873Committee on the Library Report (United States)
1874Correspondence respecting Colonial Copyright (United Kingdom)
1876Book Printer H. J. Jensen vs. The Poet Henrik Ibsen (Scandinavia)
1876Act on the Protection of Written Property, Norway (Scandinavia)
1878Royal Commission on Copyright: Minutes of Evidence (United Kingdom)
1886Committee on Patents Report (United States)
1888The International Copyright Bill (United States)
1890Report on H.R. 10881 (United States)
1896Hearing on H.R. 5976 (United States)
1896The Question of Copyright (United States)