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Overview
This is a digital archive of primary sources on copyright from the invention of the printing press (c. 1450) to the Berne Convention (1886) and beyond. The UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded the initial phase (completed in 2008) focusing on key materials from Renaissance Italy (Venice, Rome), France, the German speaking countries, Britain and the United States.
We continue to add new materials. Primary sources from Spain (edited by José Bellido) were published in 2012; the Netherlands followed in 2015 (edited by Stef van Gompel and Marius Buning). Jewish Law sources (edited by Neil Netanel), were published in 2016. In 2018, Elena Cooper joined Ronan Deazley as co-editor of the British sources, adding further documents illustrating distinct aspects of the history of copyright concerning the visual arts in the nineteenth century. From 2019, Portuguese and Brazilian sources were added by Patrícia Akester and Victor Drummond. In 2021, Jane Ginsburg started to edit a selection of Vatican documents, due to be completed in 2023. In 2023, Marius Buning was appointed editor for Scandinavia.
For each of the geographical zones/jurisdictions, national editors take responsibility for selecting, sourcing, transcribing, translating and commenting documents. These include privileges, statutes, judicial decisions, contracts and materials relating to legislative history, but also contemporary letters, essays, treatises and artefacts.
The national editors’ initial brief was to limit the selection to 50 core documents for Britain, Germany, France, and to 20 core documents for Italy and the US (these covering only a shorter period). For the subsequent additions of Spain and The Netherlands, again a limit of 50 core documents was set. For Portuguese, Vatican and Jewish Law sources, a more flexible approach is being used. These sections are still being increased. Some editors have sourced additional contextual documents which are fully catalogued, and linked to the core materials. Document selection is scrutinised by an international advisory board. Detailed information about our methodological approach may be found in the FAQ section.
The national editors are:
In 2010, Cambridge based publisher OpenBook published a companion volume to the digital archive: "Privilege and Property, Essays on the History of Copyright", containing an introductory essay by the editors: The History of Copyright History.
Following the launch of the project at Stationers’ Hall in London on 19 March 2008, we promised that the URLs for the documents in the archive would be permanent (permalinks). Document links to the first version of this database (pre-2012) will continue to be redirected to the correct documents. The original database design and website were coded by Karin Hoehne (Cologne, Germany). Redesigns were implemented in 2012 and in 2015. The functionality now provides an OAI/PMH data interface delivering record data as Dublin Core. Please refer to the FAQ section for information about accessing the interface.
Please cite this resource as:
Professor Martin Kretschmer, CREATe, University of Glasgow
General Editors, Primary Sources on Copyright
The website should be compatible with any modern internet browser since we follow standard HTML conventions without usage of HTML5. We might switch to HTML5 integration in the future. Updating older browsers is recommended.
Please report technical issues or errors to Bartolomeo Meletti (Bartolomeo.Meletti[at]glasgow.ac.uk).
This is a digital archive of primary sources on copyright from the invention of the printing press (c. 1450) to the Berne Convention (1886) and beyond. The UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded the initial phase (completed in 2008) focusing on key materials from Renaissance Italy (Venice, Rome), France, the German speaking countries, Britain and the United States.
We continue to add new materials. Primary sources from Spain (edited by José Bellido) were published in 2012; the Netherlands followed in 2015 (edited by Stef van Gompel and Marius Buning). Jewish Law sources (edited by Neil Netanel), were published in 2016. In 2018, Elena Cooper joined Ronan Deazley as co-editor of the British sources, adding further documents illustrating distinct aspects of the history of copyright concerning the visual arts in the nineteenth century. From 2019, Portuguese and Brazilian sources were added by Patrícia Akester and Victor Drummond. In 2021, Jane Ginsburg started to edit a selection of Vatican documents, due to be completed in 2023. In 2023, Marius Buning was appointed editor for Scandinavia.
For each of the geographical zones/jurisdictions, national editors take responsibility for selecting, sourcing, transcribing, translating and commenting documents. These include privileges, statutes, judicial decisions, contracts and materials relating to legislative history, but also contemporary letters, essays, treatises and artefacts.
The national editors’ initial brief was to limit the selection to 50 core documents for Britain, Germany, France, and to 20 core documents for Italy and the US (these covering only a shorter period). For the subsequent additions of Spain and The Netherlands, again a limit of 50 core documents was set. For Portuguese, Vatican and Jewish Law sources, a more flexible approach is being used. These sections are still being increased. Some editors have sourced additional contextual documents which are fully catalogued, and linked to the core materials. Document selection is scrutinised by an international advisory board. Detailed information about our methodological approach may be found in the FAQ section.
The national editors are:
| Britain: | Professor Ronan Deazley, Independent researcher (formerly University of Glasgow) Dr Elena Cooper, CREATe, University of Glasgow |
| German speaking countries: | Dr Friedemann Kawohl, Independent researcher (University of Glasgow) | France: | Dr Frédéric Rideau, Université de Poitiers |
| Italy: | Dr Joanna Kostylo, Independent researcher (University of Cambridge) |
| Jewish Law: | Professor Neil W. Netanel, University of California at Los Angeles |
| Netherlands: | Professor Stef van Gompel, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Dr Marius Buning, University of Oslo |
| Portugal and Brazil: | Patrícia Akester, PhD, Independent researcher (University of Cambridge)
Dr Victor Drummond, Asociación de gestión colectiva Inter Artis Brazil |
| Scandinavia: | Dr Marius Buning, University of Oslo | Spain: | Dr José Bellido, University of Kent |
| United States: | Professor Oren Bracha, University of Texas |
| Vatican: | Professor Jane C. Ginsburg, Columbia University |
In 2010, Cambridge based publisher OpenBook published a companion volume to the digital archive: "Privilege and Property, Essays on the History of Copyright", containing an introductory essay by the editors: The History of Copyright History.
Following the launch of the project at Stationers’ Hall in London on 19 March 2008, we promised that the URLs for the documents in the archive would be permanent (permalinks). Document links to the first version of this database (pre-2012) will continue to be redirected to the correct documents. The original database design and website were coded by Karin Hoehne (Cologne, Germany). Redesigns were implemented in 2012 and in 2015. The functionality now provides an OAI/PMH data interface delivering record data as Dublin Core. Please refer to the FAQ section for information about accessing the interface.
Please cite this resource as:
Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900), eds L. Bently & M. Kretschmer, www.copyrighthistory.orgProfessor Lionel Bently, University of Cambridge
Professor Martin Kretschmer, CREATe, University of Glasgow
General Editors, Primary Sources on Copyright
The website should be compatible with any modern internet browser since we follow standard HTML conventions without usage of HTML5. We might switch to HTML5 integration in the future. Updating older browsers is recommended.
Please report technical issues or errors to Bartolomeo Meletti (Bartolomeo.Meletti[at]glasgow.ac.uk).