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.
1479* | Privilege of the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1504* | Privilege Granted to Benedetto Bordon (Italy) |
1507* | Eloy d'Amerval's privilege (France) Commentary: [1] |
1511 | Privilege of the Bishop of Strasbourg (Germany) |
1515* | Galliot Du Pré's Privilege (France) Commentary: [1] |
1517* | Venetian Decree on Press Affairs (Italy) |
1518* | The Articles of the Pope's Bulle (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1546* | Privilege Granted to Enea Vico (Parmigiano) (Italy) |
1550* | Rema Ruling re: Maharam of Padua (Jewish Law) Commentary: [1] |
1552 | Letter Concerning the Danish Bible (Scandinavia) |
1553* | Totell's Printing Patent (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1553 | William Seres' Printing Patent (United Kingdom) |
1553 | John Day's Privilege for the Catechism (United Kingdom) |
1556 (1555 m.v.)* | Privilege Granted to Antonio Floriano (Italy) |
1556* | Privilege Granted to Giovanni Ostaus (Italy) |
1558 | Calve's privilege for the 'Holsome and Catholick Doctrine' (United Kingdom) |
1558 | Phayer's privilege for Virgil's Aeneid (United Kingdom) |
1559* | Privilege for printing music for the Indies (Spain) Commentary: [1] |
1559* | Pérez v. Fernández de Córdoba (Spain) |
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 | Totell's patent for Common Law Books (United Kingdom) |
1572 | Privilege for Petrus Johannis Godhus (Scandinavia) |
1579* | Notice of Rabbinic Reprinting Ban (Jewish Law) |
1586* | Simon Marion's plea on privileges (France) Commentary: [1] |
1606* | Reprinting Ban for Bedek Ha-Bayit (Jewish Law) |
1618 | Daniel's The Collection of the Historie of England (United Kingdom) |
1650s* | Vitré's memorandum on the prolongation of privileges (France) |
1660* | Frankfurt Printers' Ordinance (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1662* | Licensing Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1665* | French book trade regulations (France) |
1672* | Usher's Printing Privilege (United States) Commentary: [1] |
1686 | Abolition of All Monopolies in the Book Trade in Norway (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1] |
1688 | Laws Concerning Printing, Censorship, and Distribution of Books and Almanacs, Denmark–Norway (Scandinavia) |
1700 | Bladen's Privilege (United States) |
1713* | 'Books Constitution' of Emperor Rudolf II (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1714 | Decree on Fine Arts (France) |
1721 | Printer Joachim Wielandt's Privilege for Popular Chapbooks, Denmark–Norway (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1] |
1723 | Freedom to Print Non-Privileged Books, Denmark–Norway (Scandinavia) |
1725-1726* | Pierre-Jacques Blondel's memorandum (France) Commentary: [1] |
1725-1726* | Louis d'Héricourt's memorandum (France) Commentary: [1] |
1737 | Privilege of Printing Pontoppidan's Catechism Granted to the Royal Orphanage (Scandinavia) |
1738* | Thurneysen: On the Illicit Reprinting of Books (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1740* | Encyclopaedia Article on 'The Reprinting of Books' (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1741* | The Danish Copyright Ordinance (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1] |
1744* | Code de la Librairie (France) Commentary: [1] |
1746 | North Carolina Printing Privilege to Commissioners (United States) |
1748 | Privilege Granted to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to Print Almanacs (Scandinavia) |
1750 | New York Law Printing Privilege (United States) |
1752 | Regulations and Rules for the Printing Industry in Sweden (Scandinavia) |
1761 | Tonson v. Collins (United Kingdom) |
1763* | Diderot's Letter on the book trade (France) Commentary: [1] |
1764 | Licence to Establish an Office of Advertisements in the City of Bergen (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1] |
1766* | The Swedish Freedom of the Press Ordinance (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1] |
1771 | Rescript Limiting the Freedom Allowed by the 1770 Legislation (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1] |
1772 | Second New York Law Printing Privilege (United States) |
1772 | William Billings' Second Petition (United States) |
1772 | William Billings' Printing Privilege (United States) |
1773 | Information for Alexander Donaldson (United Kingdom) |
1773 | Rescript on Post-Publication Censorship (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1] |
1774 | Hargrave's Argument in Defence of Literary Property (United Kingdom) |
1774 | The Cases of the Appellants and Respondents (United Kingdom) |
1774 | The Pleadings of the Counsel before the House (United Kingdom) |
1777* | French Decree of 30 August 1777, on the duration of privileges (France) Commentary: [1] |
1777* | Bach v. Longman (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1778* | Pluquet's letters (France) Commentary: [1] |
1780* | 'Pezzana e Consorti' case: supporting documents (Italy) |
1780 | Venetian Reprint of the French Decree of 30 August 1777, on the duration of privileges (Italy) |
1781* | 'Pezzana e Consorti' case: counter-petition and rulings (Italy) |
1781* | Andrew Law's Petition (United States) Commentary: [1] |
1781 | Andrew Law's Privilege (United States) |
1783 | Petition of John Ledyard (United States) |
1783 | Ledyard Petition Committee Report (United States) |
1784 | Letter from Noah Webster to James Madison (United States) |
1785* | Austrian Statutes on Censorship and Printing (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1785 | Imperial privilege for Aloysius Blumauer's Travesty of Virgil's 'Aeneid' (Germany) |
1789 | Ramsay's Petiton House Record (United States) |
1789 | Ramsay's Petition (United States) |
1791* | Report of François Hell to the National Assembly (France) Commentary: [1] |
1792 | Purcell's Printing Privilege (United States) |
1799* | Kehr: Apology of the Reprinting of Books (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1801* | Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1801 | A Bill for the Further Encouragement of Learning (United Kingdom) |
1806 | Reprinting Regulation for the Grand Duchy of Baden (Germany) |
1810 | Swedish Freedom of the Press Ordinance (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1] |
1812* | Swedish Freedom of the Press Ordinance (Scandinavia) |
1814* | Court of Cassation on compilations (France) Commentary: [1] |
1835* | Sofer Responsum on Vilna-Slavuta Talmud Dispute (Jewish Law) |
1868* | Proudhon: 'Les Majorats littéraires' (France) |
1869* | Court of Cassation on originality (France) Commentary: [1] |