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.
1511* | Imperial Privilege for Arnolt Schlick (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1603* | Venetian Decree on Privileges for New Books and Reprints (Italy) |
1618* | Book trade regulations and incorporation of the Parisian book trade (France) Commentary: [1] |
1637* | Star Chamber Decree (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1660* | Frankfurt Printers' Ordinance (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1662* | Licensing Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1686* | Book trade regulations (France) |
1710* | Statute of Anne (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1711* | Legal Deposit at the Royal Library (Spain) |
1713* | 'Books Constitution' of Emperor Rudolf II (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1724* | Electoral Saxon Printing and Censorship Acts from 1549 to 1717 (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1737* | Booksellers' Bill (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1744* | Code de la Librairie (France) Commentary: [1] |
1773* | Saxonian Statute (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1785* | Austrian Statutes on Censorship and Printing (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1790* | Copyright Act (United States) Commentary: [1] |
1793* | French Literary and Artistic Property Act (France) Commentary: [1] |
1801* | Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1814* | Court of Cassation on sculptures (France) Commentary: [1] |
1814* | Court of Cassation on compilations (France) Commentary: [1] |
1814* | Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1828* | Maugham's Treatise (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1831* | Copyright Act (United States) Commentary: [1] |
1834* | Wheaton v. Peters Independent Report (United States) |
1838* | International Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1841* | Report of Lamartine and parliamentary debates on literary property (France) |
1842* | Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1844* | Saxon Copyright Act (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1844* | International Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1847* | Literary Property Act (Spain) Commentary: [1] |
1848* | Copyright Formalities: Registration (Spain) |
1854* | Franco-Spanish Bilateral Copyright Treaty (Spain) |
1857* | Anglo-Spanish Copyright Treaty (Spain) Commentary: [1] |
1861* | Confederate States of America Copyright Act (United States) |
1865* | Copyright Act Amendment (United States) |
1870* | Copinger's Law of Copyright (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1870* | Copyright Act (United States) |
1876* | Copyright Acts for the German Empire regarding works of art, photography, and designs (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1878* | Spanish Copyright Formalities: Certificates (Spain) |
1878* | Royal Commissioners' Report (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1880* | Copyright Regulations (Spain) Commentary: [1] |
1891* | International Copyright Act (The Chace Act) (United States) |
1894* | Copyright Formalities: Bulletin (Spain) |