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.
| 1469* | Johannes of Speyer's Printing Monopoly (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
| 1474* | Venetian Statute on Industrial Brevets (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
| 1486* | Marco Antonio Sabellico's Printing Privilege (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
| 1498* | Ottaviano Petrucci's Music Patent (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
| 1501 | Vergilius (Italy) |
| 1501 | Le Cose volgari. (Italy) |
| 1502 | Aldus Manutius's Petition against Counterfeiters (Italy) |
| 1503* | Aldus Manutius's Warning against the Printers of Lyon (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
| 1503 | Scotto v. Benalio (Italy) |
| 1503 | Durante v. Torresani (Italy) |
| 1504* | A woodcut by Albrecht Dürer plagiarized by Marcantonio Raimondi (Italy) |
| 1504* | Privilege Granted to Benedetto Bordon (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
| 1506 | 'Lamentationum Jeremie Prophete' (Italy) |
| 1515* | Ariosto's Printing Privilege (Italy) |
| 1516* | Appointment of Andrea Navagero as Literary Censor (Italy) |
| 1516 | Ugo da Carpi's Patent (Italy) |
| 1517* | Venetian Decree on Press Affairs (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
| 1526 | Papal and Venetian Privileges for Sigismondo Fanti's 'Triompho di Fortuna' (Italy) |
| 1527* | Venetian Decree on Pre-publication Censorship (Italy) |
| 1531* | Antonio Blado's privilege for Machiavelli's works (Italy) |
| 1531* | Bernardo Giunti's privilege for Machiavelli's works (Italy) |
| 1532 | Antonio Blado's edition of Machiavelli's 'History of Florence' (Italy) |
| 1534 | Melchiore Sessa's privilege for Machiavelli's works (Italy) |
| 1545* | Venetian Decree on Author-Printer Relations (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
| 1545* | Antonio Catalano's Teaching Licence (Italy) |
| 1546* | Privilege Granted to Enea Vico (Parmigiano) (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
| 1549* | Decree Establishing the Venetian Guild of Printers and Booksellers (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
| 1549* | Statutes of the Venetian Guild of Printers and Booksellers (Italy) |
| 1556 (1555 m.v.)* | Privilege Granted to Antonio Floriano (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
| 1556* | Privilege Granted to Giovanni Ostaus (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
| 1568* | Giorgio Vasari, Life of Marcantonio of Bologna and Other Engravers of Prints (Italy) |
| 1590* | Giovanni Fratta's 'On the Dedication of Books' (Italy) |
| 1596* | Motu proprio controversy (Italy) |
| 1603* | Venetian Decree on Privileges for New Books and Reprints (Italy) |
| 1740 | Venetian Decree Against Unauthorized Printing of Songs (Italy) |
| 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) |
