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 for United Kingdom: Date

Back | 201 results(* indicates core document)

1518* The Articles of the Pope's Bulle Commentary: [1]
1538* Henrician Proclamation Commentary: [1]
1553* Totell's Printing Patent Commentary: [1]
1553William Seres' Printing Patent
1553John Day's Privilege for the Catechism
1554Selected Extracts from the Stationers' Company's Registers
1557* Stationers' Charter Commentary: [1]
1557The Privy Seal warrant concerning the Stationers' Charter
1558Calve's privilege for the 'Holsome and Catholick Doctrine'
1558Phayer's privilege for Virgil's Aeneid
1559* Elizabethan Injunctions Commentary: [1]
1559Day's The Cosmographical Glass
1559* Day's privilege for The Cosmographical Glass Commentary: [1]
1559Jugge and Cawood's printing patent for statute books
1559Seres' patent for Primers and Psalters
1559Totell's patent for Common Law Books
1566* Star Chamber Decree Commentary: [1]
1586* Star Chamber Decree Commentary: [1]
1618Daniel's The Collection of the Historie of England
1624* Statute of Monopolies Commentary: [1]
1637* Star Chamber Decree Commentary: [1]
1643* The Humble Remonstrance of the Stationers' Company Commentary: [1]
1643An Ordinance for the Regulation of Printing
1644Milton's Areopagitica
1647Ordinance against Unlicensed or Scandalous Pamphlets
1649An Act against Unlicensed and Scandalous Books and Pamphlets
1653An Act for reviving [the 1649 Act]
1662* Licensing Act Commentary: [1]
1662Licensing Act (parchment copy)
1663L'Estrange's Considerations and Proposals
1667* Milton's Contract Commentary: [1]
1667Recital of the Stationers' Charter
1684Stationers' Charter
1690* Locke's Second Treatise on Government (selected extracts) Commentary: [1]
1693Locke's Memorandum on the 1662 Act
1695Reasons for objecting to the renewal of the Licensing Act
1704* Defoe's Essay on the Press Commentary: [1]
1706Reasons Humbly Offer'd for the Bill for the Encouragement of Learning
1709Reasons Humbly Offer'd for the Bill for the Encouragement of Learning
1709More Reasons Humbly Offer'd for the Bill for the Encouragement of Learning
1709Reasons Humbly Offer'd to the Consideration of the Honourable House of Commons
1710* Statute of Anne Commentary: [1]
1710A Bill for Encouragement of Learning
1721* Burnet v. Chetwood Commentary: [1]
1721Burnet's Bill of Complaint and Chetwood's Answer
1721Burnet v. Chetwood: Entries from the Court's Book of Orders
1729Gay v. Read
1735* Engravers' Copyright Act Commentary: [1]
1735The Case of Designers, Engravers, Etchers, &c.
1735Engravers' Copyright Act (parchment copy)
1737* Booksellers' Bill Commentary: [1]
1737* Baller v. Watson: Entry from the Court's Book of Orders Commentary: [1]
1737An Act for the Encouragement of Learning (Draft)
1741* Gyles v. Wilcox (Atkyn's Reports) Commentary: [1]
1741* Pope v. Curl Commentary: [1]
1741Gyles v. Wilcox (Barnardiston's Report)
1741Pope's Bill of Complaint, and Curl's Answer
1741Pope v Curl: Entry from the Court's Book of Orders
1747* Warburton's Letter from an Author Commentary: [1]
1751Tonson v. Walker
1761Tonson v. Collins
1762* Tonson v. Collins Commentary: [1]
1762* An Enquiry into Literary Property Commentary: [1]
1762A Vindication of the Rights of Authors
1766Engravers' Copyright Act
1766Blackstone's Commentaries, Vol.II (selected extracts)
1769* Millar v. Taylor Commentary: [1]
1773* Hinton v. Donaldson Commentary: [1]
1773Information for Messrs John Hinton et al
1773Information for Alexander Donaldson
1774* Donaldson v. Becket Commentary: [1]
1774Hargrave's Argument in Defence of Literary Property
1774The Cases of the Appellants and Respondents
1774The Pleadings of the Counsel before the House
1774Booksellers' Bill
1774Enfield's Observations
1774Macauley's A Modest Plea
1774Stella's Modest Exceptions
1775* Stationers' Company v. Carnan Commentary: [1]
1777* Bach v. Longman Commentary: [1]
1777Engravers' Copyright Act
1787* Calico Printers' Act Commentary: [1]
1787Calico Printers' Act (parchment copy)
1798* Models and Busts Act Commentary: [1]
1798* Beckford v. Hood Commentary: [1]
1798Models and Busts Act (parchment copy)
1799Documents concerning the Models and Busts Act
1801* Copyright Act Commentary: [1]
1801A Bill for the Further Encouragement of Learning
1801Copyright Act (parchment copy)
1812Petition of the London Booksellers
1813Petition of the Printers of London and Westminster
1813Petition of the Edinburgh Booksellers
1813Report of the Acts Respecting Copyright
1813Select Committee Report on Acts for the Encouragement of Learning
1813Select Committee Report: Minutes of Evidence
1814* Copyright Act Commentary: [1]
1814Sculpture Copyright Act
1814Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (10 May)
1814Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (19 May)
1814Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (12 July)
1814Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (18 July)
1814Bill to amend Acts for the Encouragement of Learning (18 May)
1814Bill to amend Acts for the Encouragement of Learning (7 June)
1814Bill to amend Acts for the Encouragement of Learning (12 July)
1814Bill to amend Acts for the Encouragement of Learning (15 July)
1818Select Committee Report on the Copyright Acts
1818Select Committee Report: Minutes of Evidence
1828* Maugham's Treatise Commentary: [1]
1830Dramatic Writings Bill
1832Select Committee Report: Dramatic Literature
1832Parliamentary Debates on Drama and Dramatic Literature (31 May)
1833* Dramatic Literary Property Act Commentary: [1]
1833Parliamentary Debates on the Dramatic Literary Property Act (12 March)
1833Parliamentary Debates on the Dramatic Literary Property Act (24 July)
1833Bill to amend the Laws relating to Dramatic Literary Property
1835* Publication of Lectures Act Commentary: [1]
1835Parliamentary Debates on the Lectures Act (24 Aug.)
1835Parliamentary Debates on the Lectures Act (26 Aug.)
1835Publication of Lectures Bill
1836Copyright in Prints and Engravings (Ireland) Act
1837Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (14 Dec.)
1837Copyright Bill (6 June)
1838* International Copyright Act Commentary: [1]
1838Parliamentary Debates on the International Copyright Act (20 March)
1838Parliamentary Debates on the International Copyright Act (19 July)
1838Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (25 April)
1838Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (9 May)
1838Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (6 June)
1838Copyright Bill (27 Feb.)
1838Copyright Bill (6 June)
1839Copyright Bill
1839Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (27 Feb.)
1839Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (1 May)
1839Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (9 July)
1840Copyright Bill
1840Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (4 Feb.)
1840Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (14 Feb.)
1840Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (8 July)
1841Copyright Bill
1841Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (27 Jan.)
1841Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (29 Jan.)
1841Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Bill (5 Feb.)
1842* Copyright Act Commentary: [1]
1842* Lowndes' Historical Sketch of the Law of Copyright Commentary: [1]
1842Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (8 Feb.)
1842Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (21 Feb.)
1842Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (3 Mar.)
1842Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (16 Mar.)
1842Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (23 Mar.)
1842Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (6 April)
1842Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (20 April)
1842Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (9 May)
1842Parliamentary Debates on the Copyright Act (9 May)
1842Bill to Amend the Law of Copyright (4 March)
1842Bill to Amend the Law of Copyright (23 March)
1842Bill to Amend the Law of Copyright (21 April)
1842Bill to Amend the Law of Copyright (27 June)
1844* International Copyright Act Commentary: [1]
1844International Copyright Bill
1847* Foreign Reprints Act Commentary: [1]
1847Foreign Reprints Bill
1851Anglo-French Copyright Treaty
1852* International Copyright Act Commentary: [1]
1852Parliamentary Debates on the International Copyright Act (13 Feb.)
1852Parliamentary Debates on the International Copyright Act (30 April)
1853Blaine's Laws of Artistic Copyright
1854* Jeffreys v. Boosey Commentary: [1]
1857Return of Colonies and British Possessions on Importation of Reprints
1858Report of the Artistic Copyright Committee
1860Turner v. Robinson
1861Fine Art Copyright Bill
1861Parliamentary Debates on the Fine Art Copyright Bill (6 May)
1862* Fine Art Copyright Act Commentary: [1]
1862Parliamentary Debates on the Fine Art Copyright Act (28 Feb.)
1862Parliamentary Debates on the Fine Art Copyright Act (6 March)
1862Parliamentary Debates on the Fine Art Copyright Act (20 March)
1862Parliamentary Debates on the Fine Art Copyright Act (31 March)
1862Parliamentary Debates on the Fine Art Copyright Act (22 May)
1862Parliamentary Debates on the Fine Art Copyright Act (23 May)
1862Parliamentary Debates on the Fine Art Copyright Act (5 June)
1862Parliamentary Debates on the Fine Art Copyright Act (24 July)
1862Fine Art Copyright Bill (27 Feb.)
1862Fine Art Copyright Bill (20 March)
1869Artistic Copyright Bill, London Commentary: [1]
1869Graves’ Case, London Commentary: [1]
1869Victorian Copyright Act, Victoria
1870* Copinger's Law of Copyright Commentary: [1]
1872Correspondence and Papers on Colonial Copyright
1874Correspondence respecting Colonial Copyright
1878* Royal Commissioners' Report Commentary: [1]
1878Royal Commission on Copyright: Minutes of Evidence
1879Copyright Consolidation Bill
1879Memorial of the Royal Academy of Arts, London
1886* International Copyright Act Commentary: [1]
1886International Copyright Bill
1886Correspondence respecting the Copyright Union
1886Berne Convention
1896New Zealand Copyright Act, Wellington
1899Artistic Copyright Bill, London
1900Artistic Copyright Bill, London