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.
1690* | Locke's Second Treatise on Government (selected extracts) (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1737* | Baller v. Watson: Entry from the Court's Book of Orders (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1747* | Warburton's Letter from an Author (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1761 | Tonson v. Collins (United Kingdom) |
1762* | Tonson v. Collins (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1762* | An Enquiry into Literary Property (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1762 | A Vindication of the Rights of Authors (United Kingdom) |
1769* | Millar v. Taylor (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1773* | Hinton v. Donaldson (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1773 | Information for Messrs John Hinton et al (United Kingdom) |
1773 | Information for Alexander Donaldson (United Kingdom) |
1774* | Donaldson v. Becket (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1774 | The Pleadings of the Counsel before the House (United Kingdom) |
1774 | Booksellers' Bill (United Kingdom) |
1778* | Pluquet's letters (France) Commentary: [1] |
1786 | Georgia Copyright Statute (United States) |
1788 | The Federalist No. 43 (United States) |
1789* | The Constitutional Copyright Clause (United States) Commentary: [1] |
1793* | French Literary and Artistic Property Act (France) Commentary: [1] |
1798* | Beckford v. Hood (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1826 | Letter from Noah Webster to Daniel Webster (United States) |
1826 | Letter from Daniel Webster to Noah Webster (United States) |
1828* | Maugham's Treatise (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1830 | Judiciary Committee Report (United States) |
1831* | Copyright Act (United States) Commentary: [1] |
1831 | House Debate (United States) |
1834* | Wheaton v. Peters (United States) |
1834* | Wheaton v. Peters Independent Report (United States) |
1834 | Letters from Sumner to Story (United States) |
1841 | Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (27 Jan.) (United Kingdom) |
1847* | A Treatise on the Law of Copyright (United States) Commentary: [1] |
1854* | Jeffreys v. Boosey (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1858 | Report of the Artistic Copyright Committee (United Kingdom) |
1870* | Copinger's Law of Copyright (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1878* | Morillot on the author's right (France) |
1878* | Royal Commissioners' Report (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1878 | Royal Commission on Copyright: Minutes of Evidence (United Kingdom) |
1879* | Drone on Copyright (United States) |
1880* | Kohler: Author's Right (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1890 | Report on H.R. 10881 (United States) |