Statute of Anne – early copyright lobbying

Three hundred years ago the Statute of Anne came into force (1710). It was “an Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by vesting the Copies of Printed Books in the Authors or purchasers of such Copies, during the Times therein mentioned”. The Statue of Anne was the first copyright statute in the Kingdom of Great Britain and it is considered the first act to directly protect the rights of authors. Although the Statute’s aim was to protect the rights of authors, the Statute of Anne was a result of a campaign by the Stationer’s Company that wanted to protect their business.

Before the Statute of Anne was enacted, the production and distribution of books was regulated by exercising control over printing presses and the works that were published. The Licensing Order of 1643 instituted pre-publication censorship and the Stationers’ Company was given the responsibility of acting as censor. In return the Company was given a monopoly of the printing trade. However, when the Licensing Order of 1643 lapsed, the Stationer’s Company began to lose the control they exercised over the book trade. The Company tried to persuade Parliament to reinstate the Licencing Acts, but without success. The Company did succeed in persuading Parliament to enact an “Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by vesting the Copies of Printed Books in the Authors or purchasers of such Copies [...]“, known as the Statute of Anne.

The Statute of Anne provided authors and proprietors of copies or manuscripts with the right to print and reprint copies of their works. If booksellers that were united in the Stationers’ Company were able to convince writers to assign their rights to them, then they would be able to reclaim some of their control over the book trade.

Some blogs (The 1709 Copyright Blog, Ius Mentis (Dutch)) celebrate the Statute of Anne as the first Copyright Statute granting rights to authors. Another blog mourns its death. However, the Statute can also be seen as the result of early copyright lobbying that was never in the interest of authors.