PRIMARY SOURCES

ON COPYRIGHT

(1450-1900)


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.




Core documents: Keyword editions, new

Back | 38 results(* indicates core document)

1513* Imperial privilege for Eucharius Rösslin (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1517* Venetian Decree on Press Affairs (Italy) Commentary: [1]
1531* Basel Printers' Statute (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1550* Rema Ruling re: Maharam of Padua (Jewish Law) Commentary: [1]
1606* Reprinting Ban for Bedek Ha-Bayit (Jewish Law)
1624* Statute of Monopolies (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1658* Schupp: The Book Thief (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1660* Frankfurt Printers' Ordinance (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1667* Milton's Contract (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1725-1726* Pierre-Jacques Blondel's memorandum (France) Commentary: [1]
1737* Booksellers' Bill (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1740* Encyclopaedia Article on 'The Reprinting of Books' (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1759* Sieur d'Anville's contract (France) Commentary: [1]
1763* Diderot's Letter on the book trade (France) Commentary: [1]
1766* The Swedish Freedom of the Press Ordinance (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1]
1769* Millar v. Taylor (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1777* Linguet's memorandum (France) Commentary: [1]
1778* Pluquet's letters (France) Commentary: [1]
1780* 'Pezzana e Consorti' case: supporting documents (Italy)
1793* Fichte: Proof of the Unlawfulness of Reprinting (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1794* Prussian Statute Book (ALR) (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1798* Beckford v. Hood (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1799* Kehr: Apology of the Reprinting of Books (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1809* Baden Civil Code (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1813* Rules to preserve the property of authors over their works (Spain)
1814* Court of Cassation on compilations (France) Commentary: [1]
1814* Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1826* Minutes of the 1825-1826 Commission (France)
1832* Gans: On the right to perform published stage plays (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1837* Prussian Copyright Act (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1841* Report of Lamartine and parliamentary debates on literary property (France)
1846* Austrian Copyright Act (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1853* Bluntschli: On Authors' Rights (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1857* Wächter: 'Publishing Right' (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1865* Copyright Act Amendment (United States)
1868* Proudhon: 'Les Majorats littéraires' (France)
1870* Copyright Act for the German Empire (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1891* International Copyright Act (The Chace Act) (United States)