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.
| 1477* | Tax Exemption for Books Commentary: [1] |
| 1487* | Printing Privileges to Monasteries Commentary: [1] |
| 1502* | Licensing Rules Commentary: [1] |
| 1506 | Nebrija's Printing Privilege Commentary: [1] |
| 1554* | Royal Charter for Licensing Commentary: [1] |
| 1558* | Censorship Rules |
| 1559* | Privilege for printing music for the Indies Commentary: [1] |
| 1559* | Pérez v. Fernández de Córdoba |
| 1604* | Petition for licence and privilege by Cervantes Commentary: [1] |
| 1605* | Don Quixote’s Privilege |
| 1605* | Don Quixote’s Privilege Extensions |
| 1614* | Publishing Agreement: the Spanish translation of Ludovico Blosio oeuvre |
| 1677* | Pirated edition of Calderón de la Barca's comedias Commentary: [1] |
| 1691* | Pseudo-Vera Tassis: Fake edition |
| 1691 | Pseudo-Vera Tassis: Fake edition II |
| 1711* | Legal Deposit at the Royal Library |
| 1752* | Juan Curiel as Censor |
| 1752* | Privilege Tranfers: Contract between Antonio Sanz and his bookseller |
| 1762* | Free Trade Regulations |
| 1763* | Rules for Printers and Book Merchants' Guild in Madrid |
| 1792* | Barcelona Newspaper' Printing Privilege |
| 1813* | Rules to preserve the property of authors over their works |
| 1834* | Privilege to the Royal Lithographic Establishment |
| 1837* | Royal Order on Dramatic Copyright Commentary: [1] |
| 1837* | Royal Order on Music Copyright |
| 1838* | Remarks on Literary Property |
| 1847* | Literary Property Act Commentary: [1] |
| 1848* | Copyright Formalities: Registration |
| 1854* | Franco-Spanish Bilateral Copyright Treaty |
| 1857* | Anglo-Spanish Copyright Treaty Commentary: [1] |
| 1859* | Casado's PhD on Copyright |
| 1861* | Supreme Court on Originality |
| 1862 | Bretón de los Herreros' Copyright Contract |
| 1868* | Colonial Copyright Extensions Commentary: [1] |
| 1872* | Supreme Court on Artistic Copyright |
| 1877* | Supreme Court on Music Copyright |
| 1878* | Spanish Copyright Formalities: Certificates |
| 1879* | Copyright Act Commentary: [1] |
| 1880* | Copyright Regulations Commentary: [1] |
| 1880 | Franco-Spanish Bilateral Copyright Treaty |
| 1880 | Anglo-Spanish Bilateral Copyright Treaty |
| 1882* | Danvila’s Copyright Treatise Commentary: [1] |
| 1884* | Bilateral Copyright Treaty between Spain and El Salvador Commentary: [1] |
| 1885* | First Inscriptions of Works at the Spanish Copyright Office |
| 1887* | International Literary Congress in Madrid |
| 1888* | Civil Code Commentary: [1] |
| 1890* | Copyright Pocketbooks Commentary: [1] |
| 1894* | Copyright Formalities: Bulletin |
| 1895* | Núñez de Arce’s Will Commentary: [1] |
| 1898* | Treaty of Peace between the United States and Spain Commentary: [1] |
