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.
1515 | Imperial Privilege for Konrad Peutinger (Germany) |
1556 (1555 m.v.)* | Privilege Granted to Antonio Floriano (Italy) |
1624* | Statute of Monopolies (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1766 | Engravers' Copyright Act (United Kingdom) |
1777 | Engravers' Copyright Act (United Kingdom) |
1783* | Connecticut Copyright Statute (United States) Commentary: [1] |
1785 | North Carolina Copyright Statute (United States) |
1790-1800 | Sample registrations (United States) |
1790* | Copyright Act (United States) Commentary: [1] |
1792 | Purcell's Printing Privilege (United States) |
1794* | Prussian Statute Book (ALR) (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1802 | 1802 Amendment (United States) |
1828 | H.R. 140 Committee Bill (United States) |
1828 | H.R. 140 Consolidated Bill (United States) |
1831* | Copyright Act (United States) Commentary: [1] |
1831 | House Debate (United States) |
1837* | Prussian Copyright Act (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1838* | International Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
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* | Report of Lamartine and parliamentary debates on literary property (France) |
1841 | Copyright Bill (United Kingdom) |
1842* | Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
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) |
1844* | International Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1846* | Austrian Copyright Act (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1847* | A Treatise on the Law of Copyright (United States) Commentary: [1] |
1853* | Bluntschli: On Authors' Rights (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1853 | Blaine's Laws of Artistic Copyright (United Kingdom) |
1857* | Wächter: 'Publishing Right' (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1857* | Anglo-Spanish Copyright Treaty (Spain) Commentary: [1] |
1861* | Confederate States of America Copyright Act (United States) |
1863 | Confederate States of America Copyright Act Amendement (United States) |
1865* | Copyright Act Amendment (United States) |
1870* | Copyright Act for the German Empire (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1870* | Copyright Act (United States) |
1877* | Gareis: Juridical Nature of Author's Rights (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1879* | Drone on Copyright (United States) |
1880* | Copyright Regulations (Spain) Commentary: [1] |
1884 | Bilateral treaty between Switzerland and France (Germany) |
1886 | Correspondence respecting the Copyright Union (United Kingdom) |
1891 | 50 Prussian Expert Opinions from 1870-1876 (Germany) |