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.
1474* | Venetian Statute on Industrial Brevets (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) |
1624* | Statute of Monopolies (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1773 | Information for Alexander Donaldson (United Kingdom) |
1774 | The Cases of the Appellants and Respondents (United Kingdom) |
1776* | Gaultier's memorandum for the provincial booksellers (France) Commentary: [1] |
1787 | Madison's Journal Record (United States) |
1788 | The Federalist No. 43 (United States) |
1789* | The Constitutional Copyright Clause (United States) Commentary: [1] |
1789 | Ramsay's Petiton House Record (United States) |
1789 | House Joint copyright and patent bill decision (United States) |
1789 | Joint Copyright Patent Bill [H.R. 10] (United States) |
1790* | Copyright Act (United States) Commentary: [1] |
1793* | Fichte: Proof of the Unlawfulness of Reprinting (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1821* | Hegel: Remarks on Intellectual Property (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1834* | Wheaton v. Peters (United States) |
1841* | Report of Lamartine and parliamentary debates on literary property (France) |
1842 | Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (6 April) (United Kingdom) |
1842 | Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (9 May) (United Kingdom) |
1859* | Casado's PhD on Copyright (Spain) |
1860* | Nathanson Ruling in Matter of Yoreh De'ah (Jewish Law) Commentary: [1] |
1868* | Proudhon: 'Les Majorats littéraires' (France) |
1869* | Court of Cassation on originality (France) Commentary: [1] |
1870* | Copyright Act (United States) |
1877* | Gareis: Juridical Nature of Author's Rights (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1878* | Morillot on the author's right (France) |