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.
1474* | Venetian Statute on Industrial Brevets (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
1479* | Privilege of the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1511* | Imperial Privilege for Arnolt Schlick (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1525 | Luther's 'Admonition to the Printers' (Germany) |
1531* | Basel Printers' Statute (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1545* | Luther's 'Warning to the Printers' (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1546* | Privilege Granted to Enea Vico (Parmigiano) (Italy) |
1547* | French Censorship Act (France) Commentary: [1] |
1549* | Decree Establishing the Venetian Guild of Printers and Booksellers (Italy) |
1556* | Privilege Granted to Giovanni Ostaus (Italy) |
1586* | Star Chamber Decree (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1596* | Motu proprio controversy (Italy) |
1624* | Statute of Monopolies (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1650s* | Vitré's memorandum on the prolongation of privileges (France) |
1665* | French book trade regulations (France) |
1690s* | Memorandum on the dispute between the Parisian and the provincial booksellers (France) Commentary: [1] |
1704* | Defoe's Essay on the Press (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1725-1726* | Louis d'Héricourt's memorandum (France) Commentary: [1] |
1738* | Thurneysen: On the Illicit Reprinting of Books (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1740* | Encyclopaedia Article on 'The Reprinting of Books' (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1741 | Gyles v. Wilcox (Barnardiston's Report) (United Kingdom) |
1750 | Fritsch: Treatise on Book Printers, Booksellers, Paper Manufacturers and Bookbinders (Germany) |
1762* | Royal declaration on privileges granted to inventors (France) Commentary: [1] |
1763* | Diderot's Letter on the book trade (France) Commentary: [1] |
1777* | Royal declaration on sculpture and painting (France) |
1777* | Linguet's memorandum (France) Commentary: [1] |
1778* | Pluquet's letters (France) Commentary: [1] |
1780* | 'Pezzana e Consorti' case: supporting documents (Italy) |
1785* | Austrian Statutes on Censorship and Printing (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1790* | J.F.F. Ganz's draft for a general ban on reprinting within the whole Empire (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1791* | Le Chapelier's report (France) Commentary: [1] |
1793* | Fichte: Proof of the Unlawfulness of Reprinting (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1799* | Kehr: Apology of the Reprinting of Books (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1806 | Reprinting Regulation for the Grand Duchy of Baden (Germany) |
1815* | Annotated Publishers' Petition to the Congress of Vienna (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1830 | Letter from John McLean to Richard Peters Jr. (United States) |
1834* | Wheaton v. Peters Independent Report (United States) |
1835* | Publication of Lectures Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1835 | Parliamentary Debates on the Lectures Act (24 Aug.) (United Kingdom) |
1837* | Senate Report (United States) |
1837 | Petition of British Authors (United States) |
1837 | Debates in Congress (United States) |
1837 | Memorial of a Number of Citizens of the United States (United States) |
1838 | Report, from the Committee on Patents (United States) |
1838 | Memorial of the New York Typographical Society (United States) |
1841* | Report of Lamartine and parliamentary debates on literary property (France) |
1841 | Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (29 Jan.) (United Kingdom) |
1842* | Court of Cassation on artistic property (France) Commentary: [1] |
1842 | Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (20 April) (United Kingdom) |
1842 | Memorial of a Number of Persons Concerned in Printing and Publishing (United States) |
1844* | Saxon Copyright Act (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1848 | Jay, Bryant and Others' Memorials (United States) |
1853 | Letters on International copyright (United States) |
1868* | Proudhon: 'Les Majorats littéraires' (France) |
1886 | Committee on Patents Report (United States) |
1888 | The International Copyright Bill (United States) |
1890 | Report on H.R. 10881 (United States) |