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.
| 1518* | The Articles of the Pope's Bulle Commentary: [1] |
| 1538* | Henrician Proclamation Commentary: [1] |
| 1553* | Totell's Printing Patent Commentary: [1] |
| 1557* | Stationers' Charter Commentary: [1] |
| 1559* | Elizabethan Injunctions Commentary: [1] |
| 1559* | Day's privilege for The Cosmographical Glass Commentary: [1] |
| 1566* | Star Chamber Decree Commentary: [1] |
| 1586* | Star Chamber Decree Commentary: [1] |
| 1624* | Statute of Monopolies Commentary: [1] |
| 1637* | Star Chamber Decree Commentary: [1] |
| 1643* | The Humble Remonstrance of the Stationers' Company Commentary: [1] |
| 1662* | Licensing Act Commentary: [1] |
| 1667* | Milton's Contract Commentary: [1] |
| 1690* | Locke's Second Treatise on Government (selected extracts) Commentary: [1] |
| 1704* | Defoe's Essay on the Press Commentary: [1] |
| 1710* | Statute of Anne Commentary: [1] |
| 1721* | Burnet v. Chetwood Commentary: [1] |
| 1735* | Engravers' Copyright Act Commentary: [1] |
| 1737* | Booksellers' Bill Commentary: [1] |
| 1737* | Baller v. Watson: Entry from the Court's Book of Orders Commentary: [1] |
| 1741* | Gyles v. Wilcox (Atkyn's Reports) Commentary: [1] |
| 1741* | Pope v. Curl Commentary: [1] |
| 1747* | Warburton's Letter from an Author Commentary: [1] |
| 1762* | Tonson v. Collins Commentary: [1] |
| 1762* | An Enquiry into Literary Property Commentary: [1] |
| 1769* | Millar v. Taylor Commentary: [1] |
| 1773* | Hinton v. Donaldson Commentary: [1] |
| 1774* | Donaldson v. Becket Commentary: [1] |
| 1775* | Stationers' Company v. Carnan Commentary: [1] |
| 1777* | Bach v. Longman Commentary: [1] |
| 1787* | Calico Printers' Act Commentary: [1] |
| 1798* | Models and Busts Act Commentary: [1] |
| 1798* | Beckford v. Hood Commentary: [1] |
| 1801* | Copyright Act Commentary: [1] |
| 1814* | Copyright Act Commentary: [1] |
| 1828* | Maugham's Treatise Commentary: [1] |
| 1833* | Dramatic Literary Property Act Commentary: [1] |
| 1835* | Publication of Lectures Act Commentary: [1] |
| 1838* | International Copyright Act Commentary: [1] |
| 1842* | Copyright Act Commentary: [1] |
| 1842* | Lowndes' Historical Sketch of the Law of Copyright Commentary: [1] |
| 1844* | International Copyright Act Commentary: [1] |
| 1847* | Foreign Reprints Act Commentary: [1] |
| 1852* | International Copyright Act Commentary: [1] |
| 1854* | Jeffreys v. Boosey Commentary: [1] |
| 1862* | Fine Art Copyright Act Commentary: [1] |
| 1870* | Copinger's Law of Copyright Commentary: [1] |
| 1878* | Royal Commissioners' Report Commentary: [1] |
| 1886* | International Copyright Act Commentary: [1] |
