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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All documents: Keyword privileges, printing

Back | 91 results(* indicates core document)

1479* Privilege of the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1504* Privilege Granted to Benedetto Bordon (Italy)
1507* Eloy d'Amerval's privilege (France) Commentary: [1]
1511Privilege of the Bishop of Strasbourg (Germany)
1515* Galliot Du Pré's Privilege (France) Commentary: [1]
1517* Venetian Decree on Press Affairs (Italy)
1518* The Articles of the Pope's Bulle (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1546* Privilege Granted to Enea Vico (Parmigiano) (Italy)
1550* Rema Ruling re: Maharam of Padua (Jewish Law) Commentary: [1]
1552Letter Concerning the Danish Bible (Scandinavia)
1553* Totell's Printing Patent (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1553William Seres' Printing Patent (United Kingdom)
1553John 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)
1558Calve's privilege for the 'Holsome and Catholick Doctrine' (United Kingdom)
1558Phayer's privilege for Virgil's Aeneid (United Kingdom)
1559* Privilege for printing music for the Indies (Spain) Commentary: [1]
1559* Pérez v. Fernández de Córdoba (Spain)
1559Day's The Cosmographical Glass (United Kingdom)
1559* Day's privilege for The Cosmographical Glass (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1559Jugge and Cawood's printing patent for statute books (United Kingdom)
1559Totell's patent for Common Law Books (United Kingdom)
1572Privilege for Petrus Johannis Godhus (Scandinavia)
1579* Notice of Rabbinic Reprinting Ban (Jewish Law)
1586* Simon Marion's plea on privileges (France) Commentary: [1]
1606* Reprinting Ban for Bedek Ha-Bayit (Jewish Law)
1618Daniel's The Collection of the Historie of England (United Kingdom)
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)
1672* Usher's Printing Privilege (United States) Commentary: [1]
1686Abolition of All Monopolies in the Book Trade in Norway (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1]
1688Laws Concerning Printing, Censorship, and Distribution of Books and Almanacs, Denmark–Norway (Scandinavia)
1700Bladen's Privilege (United States)
1713* 'Books Constitution' of Emperor Rudolf II (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1714Decree on Fine Arts (France)
1721Printer Joachim Wielandt's Privilege for Popular Chapbooks, Denmark–Norway (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1]
1723Freedom to Print Non-Privileged Books, Denmark–Norway (Scandinavia)
1725-1726* Pierre-Jacques Blondel's memorandum (France) Commentary: [1]
1725-1726* Louis d'Héricourt's memorandum (France) Commentary: [1]
1737Privilege of Printing Pontoppidan's Catechism Granted to the Royal Orphanage (Scandinavia)
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]
1744* Code de la Librairie (France) Commentary: [1]
1746North Carolina Printing Privilege to Commissioners (United States)
1748Privilege Granted to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to Print Almanacs (Scandinavia)
1750New York Law Printing Privilege (United States)
1752Regulations and Rules for the Printing Industry in Sweden (Scandinavia)
1761Tonson v. Collins (United Kingdom)
1763* Diderot's Letter on the book trade (France) Commentary: [1]
1764Licence to Establish an Office of Advertisements in the City of Bergen (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1]
1766* The Swedish Freedom of the Press Ordinance (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1]
1771Rescript Limiting the Freedom Allowed by the 1770 Legislation (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1]
1772Second New York Law Printing Privilege (United States)
1772William Billings' Second Petition (United States)
1772William Billings' Printing Privilege (United States)
1773Information for Alexander Donaldson (United Kingdom)
1773Rescript on Post-Publication Censorship (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1]
1774Hargrave's Argument in Defence of Literary Property (United Kingdom)
1774The Cases of the Appellants and Respondents (United Kingdom)
1774The Pleadings of the Counsel before the House (United Kingdom)
1777* French Decree of 30 August 1777, on the duration of privileges (France) Commentary: [1]
1777* Bach v. Longman (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1778* Pluquet's letters (France) Commentary: [1]
1780* 'Pezzana e Consorti' case: supporting documents (Italy)
1780Venetian Reprint of the French Decree of 30 August 1777, on the duration of privileges (Italy)
1781* 'Pezzana e Consorti' case: counter-petition and rulings (Italy)
1781* Andrew Law's Petition (United States) Commentary: [1]
1781Andrew Law's Privilege (United States)
1783Petition of John Ledyard (United States)
1783Ledyard Petition Committee Report (United States)
1784Letter from Noah Webster to James Madison (United States)
1785* Austrian Statutes on Censorship and Printing (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1785Imperial privilege for Aloysius Blumauer's Travesty of Virgil's 'Aeneid' (Germany)
1789Ramsay's Petiton House Record (United States)
1789Ramsay's Petition (United States)
1791* Report of François Hell to the National Assembly (France) Commentary: [1]
1792Purcell's Printing Privilege (United States)
1799* Kehr: Apology of the Reprinting of Books (Germany) Commentary: [1]
1801* Copyright Act (United Kingdom) Commentary: [1]
1801A Bill for the Further Encouragement of Learning (United Kingdom)
1806Reprinting Regulation for the Grand Duchy of Baden (Germany)
1810Swedish Freedom of the Press Ordinance (Scandinavia) Commentary: [1]
1812* Swedish Freedom of the Press Ordinance (Scandinavia)
1814* Court of Cassation on compilations (France) Commentary: [1]
1835* Sofer Responsum on Vilna-Slavuta Talmud Dispute (Jewish Law) Commentary: [1]
1868* Proudhon: 'Les Majorats littéraires' (France)
1869* Court of Cassation on originality (France) Commentary: [1]