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.
1504* | Privilege Granted to Benedetto Bordon (Italy) |
1513* | Imperial privilege for Eucharius Rösslin (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1515* | Ariosto's Printing Privilege (Italy) |
1516* | Appointment of Andrea Navagero as Literary Censor (Italy) |
1531* | Antonio Blado's privilege for Machiavelli's works (Italy) |
1531* | Basel Printers' Statute (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1534 | Privilege of the Elector of Saxony (Germany) |
1545* | Venetian Decree on Author-Printer Relations (Italy) Commentary: [1] |
1545* | Antonio Catalano's Teaching Licence (Italy) |
1546* | Privilege Granted to Enea Vico (Parmigiano) (Italy) |
1553 | John Day's Privilege for the Catechism (United Kingdom) |
1556 (1555 m.v.)* | Privilege Granted to Antonio Floriano (Italy) |
1556* | Privilege Granted to Giovanni Ostaus (Italy) |
1557* | Stationers' Charter (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1558 | Phayer's privilege for Virgil's Aeneid (United Kingdom) |
1559 | Day's The Cosmographical Glass (United Kingdom) |
1559* | Day's privilege for The Cosmographical Glass (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1566* | Star Chamber Decree (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1596* | Motu proprio controversy (Italy) |
1618* | Book trade regulations and incorporation of the Parisian book trade (France) Commentary: [1] |
1658* | Schupp: The Book Thief (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1673 | Nuremberg Printers' Ordinance (Germany) |
1713 | Augsburg Printers' Ordinance (Germany) |
1724* | Electoral Saxon Printing and Censorship Acts from 1549 to 1717 (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1773* | Saxonian Statute (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1774 | Booksellers' Bill (United Kingdom) |
1778* | Pluquet's letters (France) Commentary: [1] |
1781* | Andrew Law's Petition (United States) Commentary: [1] |
1781 | Andrew Law's Privilege (United States) |
1784 | South Carolina Copyright Statute (United States) |
1785* | Austrian Statutes on Censorship and Printing (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1785 | Imperial privilege for Aloysius Blumauer's Travesty of Virgil's 'Aeneid' (Germany) |
1785 | North Carolina Copyright Statute (United States) |
1790* | Copyright Act (United States) Commentary: [1] |
1801* | Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1] |
1801 | A Bill for the Further Encouragement of Learning (United Kingdom) |
1802 | 1802 Amendment (United States) |
1806 | Reprinting Regulation for the Grand Duchy of Baden (Germany) |
1828 | H.R. 140 Consolidated Bill (United States) |
1837* | Prussian Copyright Act (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1844* | Saxon Copyright Act (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1853* | Bluntschli: On Authors' Rights (Germany) Commentary: [1] |
1870* | Copyright Act for the German Empire (Germany) Commentary: [1] |