This site provides a brief and focused history of copyright, especially assembled for students of librarianship working in the
You'll also find a collection of resources and links for further study.
Questions for
Around 300 B.C., a disciple of Plato (c. 423-347 B.C.) made a grave faux pas. He sold copies of his master’s work. While the Greeks had no issue with making copies or selling them without permission, they did feel that commerce was not a fitting activity for a philosopher’s pupil.
25 B.C. - 100 A.D.: at the height of the
In 567 A.D., an Irish monk named Colmcille (known later as St. Columba of
1042 A.D.: Printing by movable type prompted the Song Dynasty to consider a copyright of sorts, in order to protect the sole right of the Printed by the Cheng Family of Mei Shan. The right has been registered with the competent authority. No reprinting without authorisation is allowed.
1456 A.D.: the European printing press was invented, facilitating greater dissemination of copies. The printer (the owner of the press) was, in many ways, more important than the author or owner of a manuscript in that the printing industry determined what was lucrative enough to print. Most authors received a single payment for their work; after that it was owned, produced and distributed by the printer.
1476 A.D.: William Caxton brings the printing press to
1534-1538 A.D.: In an effort to squelch texts that criticized his reign, Henry VIII increased the power of printers by prohibiting the import of foreign books, as well as the publication of "naughty printed books" (these books were subversive, not pornographic). Printers were required to get a license from the Privy Council (also known as The Star Chamber), before printing any book.
1557 A.D.: Henry's daughter, Mary Tudor ("Bloody Mary"), granted the Stationers' Company (a printer's guild), a monopoly on printing in 1557. The first printer to enter a book in the Company’s register acquired a right to the title or "copy". Thereafter, the right could be transferred, like any other property. The text’s creator of the text held little power over the work once the manuscript was sold.
1649-1660 A.D.: Cromwell's Commonwealth required Parliamentary licenses for all publications. In an effort to maintain governmental control, all presses outside of
1709 A.D.: In an attempt to thwart Puritan ideas, Queen Anne of England used the Stationer's Company to try and control what got printed. In tu
rn, John Locke and other thinkers, called for a free press. Simultaneously, "pirate" publishers in
1774 A.D.: Donaldson v. Beckett. The House of Lords held that there was no common law copyright, once a work was given to a publisher or printer. For authors and creators, the finding stripped the natural right to control the creation as soon as they relinquished the work to a publisher. Once released, the statutory law controlled what happened to the work. After the statutory period, the works became part of the public domain.
1788 A.D.: Article I, Section 8 of the
1790 A.D.: The first
1834 A.D.: Wheaton v. Peters goes to the Supreme Court. In a reiteration of Donaldson v. Beckett, the Court held that there is no common law copyright, only the right given by statute.
1853 
A.D.: Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, sued a German Publisher called Die Freie Presse. The publisher translated the book into German and sold it in the
1867 A.D.: Charles Dickens lobbied the American Congress to recognize the copyright of British authors, to no avail. American publishers were reprinting their works without permission, and neglecting to pay royalties.
1870 A.D.: The administration of copyright registrations moved into the control of the Library of Congress Copyright Office.
1884 A.D.: The Supreme Court ruled that photographs can be copyrighted.
1906 A.D.: Mark Twain spoke to a Congressional committee, and urged them to extend copyright to the term of the author's life plus 50 years.
1909 A.D.: The Copyright Act was revised to expand coverage on types of authorship; including literary, dramatic and musical works.
1971 A.D.: Congress decided that musical recordings, not just the compositions, should be covered by copyright. (PBS)
1976 A.D.: The Copyright Act of 1976 set the duration of copyright coverage to include the life of the author, plus fifty years. Originally, the act was to limit the duration period at 50 years, but, the
1988 A.D.: The United States agreed to the terms of the 1886 Berne Convention, which promotes international standards in copyright protection. One of the resulting changes was the elimination of copyright notice for copyright protection. Today, nearly all private creations are copyrighted and protected, whether or not it was registered with the Copyright Office or carries a copyright notice.
1998 A.D.: President Clinton signed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which addresses intellectual property on the Internet.
1998 A.D.: Congress voted unanimously to extend copyright protection by 20 extra years. Most famously, the move keeps Disney's early cartoons, including Mickey Mouse, from passing into public domain.
2000 A.D.: Napster, an online music sharing site, is shut down for helping users share music, free of charge, and without paying royalties. In the aftermath, Napster is sold, and restyled as a for-profit music download site.
2003 A.D.: After hearing a challenge to the 1998 Copyright Extension Act, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the law.
2007 A.D.: The Library Copyright Alliance (a consortium that consists of the American Association of Law Libraries, the American Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries, the Medical Library Association, and the Special Libraries Association) sends a letter about misleading copyright notices to the Federal Trade Commission. The letter states, "Patrons are confused by the clear contradiction between this copyright warning, which states that certain copies are permitted, and the warnings contained in some books, which state that no copies are permitted without the copyright owner’s express permission."
2008 A.D.:
What’s next? Check out the Copyright/Library news ticker at the bottom of this site, as well as the links on the right.
How has the length of copyright protection expanded over time?
1790 28 years (14 years from publication; and one more 14 year extension, if the author is isn’t pushing daisies).
1831 42 years (28 years from publication, and one 14 year renewal option).
1909 56 years (28 years from publication, and renewable for up to 28 years).
1976 Life of author, plus 50 years; 75 years from publication, or 100 years from creation.
1998 Life of author, plus 70 years; in the case of anonymous works, protection extends 95 years from publication, or 100 years from creation.
Works Created in 1978 or Later
Published 1964-1977: 95 Years After Date of First Publication with ©
Published 1923-1963: 28 Years After Date of First Publication with ©, plus 67 Years if Renewed
Published Before 1923: In Public Domain
Created Before 1978, but Not Published/Registered on 1/1/1978: Life Plus 70 Years, or 95/120, or Through 2002 (Whichever is Greater).
Copyright: the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, sell, or distribute the matter and form of something (as a literary, musical, or artistic work)
Copyrightable Works:
Fair Use: a legal doctrine that portions of copyrighted materials may be used without permission of the copyright owner, provided the use is fair and reasonable, does not substantially impair the value of the materials, and does not curtail the profits reasonably expected by the owner.
Trademark: a device (as a word) pointing distinctly to the origin or ownership of merchandise to which it is applied and legally reserved to the exclusive use of the owner as maker or seller.
Patent: an official document conferring a right or privilege; a writing securing for a term of years the exclusive right to make, use, or sell an invention.
Intellectual Property : property (as an idea, invention, or process) that derives from the work of the mind or intellect; also : an application, right, or registration relating to this.
Public Domain: the realm embracing property rights that belong to the community at large, are unprotected by copyright or patent, and are subject to appropriation by anyone. Works in the public domain include:
Creative Commons: A compromise between full copyright (no use without permission), and public domain (no permission required). Creative Commons' licenses let others copy and distribute work under specific conditions.
