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.
1498* | Ottaviano Petrucci's Music Patent (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
1546* | Privilege Granted to Enea Vico (Parmigiano) (Italy) |
1556 (1555 m.v.)* | Privilege Granted to Antonio Floriano (Italy) |
1556* | Privilege Granted to Giovanni Ostaus (Italy) |
1690 | Beier: On the Book Trade and its Privileges (Germany) |
1777 | Engravers' Copyright Act (United Kingdom) |
1809* | Baden Civil Code (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1832* | Gans: On the right to perform published stage plays (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1832 | Select Committee Report: Dramatic Literature (United Kingdom) |
1834* | Balzac's letter to authors (France) |
1837* | Prussian Copyright Act (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1838 | Ordinance on the Establishment of Societies of Copyright Experts (Germany) |
1840* | Bilateral Treaty between Austria and Sardinia (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1846* | Bilateral Treaty between Prussia and Great Britain (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1846* | Austrian Copyright Act (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1848 | Jay, Bryant and Others' Memorials (United States) |
1852* | International Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1853* | Bluntschli: On Authors' Rights (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1857* | Wächter: 'Publishing Right' (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1862* | Court of Cassation on photography (France) Commentary: [1] |
1868* | Proudhon: 'Les Majorats littéraires' (France) |
1870* | Copyright Act for the German Empire (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1870* | Copinger's Law of Copyright (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1870 | Committee Report on S.703 (United States) |
1878 | Royal Commission on Copyright: Minutes of Evidence (United Kingdom) |
1879 | Copyright Consolidation Bill (United Kingdom) |
1886 | Correspondence respecting the Copyright Union (United Kingdom) |
1891 | 50 Prussian Expert Opinions from 1870-1876 (Germany) |