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.


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Back | 39 results(* indicates core document)

1586* Star Chamber Decree (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1618* Book trade regulations and incorporation of the Parisian book trade (France) Commentary: [1]
1660* Frankfurt Printers' Ordinance (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1690s* Memorandum on the dispute between the Parisian and the provincial booksellers (France) Commentary: [1]
1701* Royal letters patent (France) Commentary: [1]
1704* Defoe's Essay on the Press (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1744* Code de la Librairie (France) Commentary: [1]
1762* Royal declaration on privileges granted to inventors (France) Commentary: [1]
1763* Rules for Printers and Book Merchants' Guild in Madrid (Spain)
1776* Gaultier's memorandum for the provincial booksellers (France) Commentary: [1]
1777* Linguet's memorandum (France) Commentary: [1]
1778* Pluquet's letters (France) Commentary: [1]
1780* 'Pezzana e Consorti' case: supporting documents (Italy)
1780* Dramatic Act (France)
1781* 'Pezzana e Consorti' case: counter-petition and rulings (Italy)
1790* J.F.F. Ganz's draft for a general ban on reprinting within the whole Empire (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1791* Le Chapelier's report (France) Commentary: [1]
1791Beaumarchais's petition (France)
1799* Kehr: Apology of the Reprinting of Books (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1814Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (18 July) (United Kingdom)
1826* Minutes of the 1825-1826 Commission (France)
1830* Amended music publishers' agreement against piracy (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1832Select Committee Report: Dramatic Literature (United Kingdom)
1834* Balzac's letter to authors (France)
1834* Privilege to the Royal Lithographic Establishment (Spain)
1838Report, from the Committee on Patents (United States)
1838Memorial of the New York Typographical Society (United States)
1839Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (27 Feb.) (United Kingdom)
1840Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (14 Feb.) (United Kingdom)
1841* Report of Lamartine and parliamentary debates on literary property (France)
1842Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (9 May) (United Kingdom)
1848Jay, Bryant and Others' Memorials (United States)
1862Parliamentary Debates on the Fine Art Copyright Act (22 May) (United Kingdom)
1868* Proudhon: 'Les Majorats littéraires' (France)
1872Correspondence and Papers on Colonial Copyright (United Kingdom)
1873Committee on the Library Report (United States)
1874Correspondence respecting Colonial Copyright (United Kingdom)
1878Royal Commission on Copyright: Minutes of Evidence (United Kingdom)
1887* International Literary Congress in Madrid (Spain)