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.
1469* | Johannes of Speyer's Printing Monopoly (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
1504* | Privilege Granted to Benedetto Bordon (Italy) |
1507* | Eloy d'Amerval's privilege (France) Commentary: [1] |
1511* | Imperial Privilege for Arnolt Schlick (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1511* | Imperial Privilege for Albrecht Dürer (Germany) |
1533* | Schott v. Egenolph (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1546* | Privilege Granted to Enea Vico (Parmigiano) (Italy) |
1549* | Statutes of the Venetian Guild of Printers and Booksellers (Italy) |
1556 (1555 m.v.)* | Privilege Granted to Antonio Floriano (Italy) |
1556* | Privilege Granted to Giovanni Ostaus (Italy) |
1566* | Star Chamber Decree (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1579* | Notice of Rabbinic Reprinting Ban (Jewish Law) |
1586* | Star Chamber Decree (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1594* | Council of Four Lands Printing and Book Trade Regulation (Jewish Law) Commentary: [1] |
1596* | Total Ban on Book Imports, Denmark–Norway (Scandinavia) |
1618* | Book trade regulations and incorporation of the Parisian book trade (France) Commentary: [1] |
1637* | Star Chamber Decree (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1650s* | Vitré's memorandum on the prolongation of privileges (France) |
1660* | Frankfurt Printers' Ordinance (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1662* | Licensing Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1665* | French book trade regulations (France) |
1676* | Decree on Sculptures (France) |
1684* | Renewed Swedish Censorship Laws (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1] |
1686* | Book trade regulations (France) |
1713* | 'Books Constitution' of Emperor Rudolf II (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1724* | Electoral Saxon Printing and Censorship Acts from 1549 to 1717 (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1738* | Thurneysen: On the Illicit Reprinting of Books (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1740* | Encyclopaedia Article on 'The Reprinting of Books' (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1741* | The Danish Copyright Ordinance (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1] |
1763* | Diderot's Letter on the book trade (France) Commentary: [1] |
1766* | The Swedish Freedom of the Press Ordinance (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1] |
1770* | Luneau de Boisjermain's case (France) |
1785* | Austrian Statutes on Censorship and Printing (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1790* | J.F.F. Ganz's draft for a general ban on reprinting within the whole Empire (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1790* | Sieyès' report (France) Commentary: [1] |
1791* | Report of François Hell to the National Assembly (France) Commentary: [1] |
1794* | Prussian Statute Book (ALR) (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1799* | Renewed Censorship Legislation, Denmark–Norway (Scandinavia) |
1812* | Swedish Freedom of the Press Ordinance (Scandinavia) |
1814* | Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1827* | Treaties on reciprocal protection between Prussia and various German States (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1831* | Copyright Act (United States) Commentary: [1] |
1835* | Publication of Lectures Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1837* | Prussian Copyright Act (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1837* | Directive for reciprocal copyright protection within the German Confederation (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1841* | Report of Lamartine and parliamentary debates on literary property (France) |
1842* | Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1846* | Austrian Copyright Act (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1851* | SACEM's act of constitution (France) |
1861* | Confederate States of America Copyright Act (United States) |
1870* | Copyright Act for the German Empire (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1870* | Copyright Act (United States) |
1876* | Copyright Acts for the German Empire regarding works of art, photography, and designs (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1877* | Supreme Court on Music Copyright (Spain) |
1877* | Swedish Copyright Act (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1] |
1879* | Copyright Act (Spain) Commentary: [1] |
1880* | Copyright Regulations (Spain) Commentary: [1] |
1891* | International Copyright Act (The Chace Act) (United States) |
1897* | Copyright Act (Public Performance of Musical Compositions) (United States) |