Copyright Act 1709
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | 1709 c. 21 |
| Year | 1709 |
(8 Ann.) C A P. XIX. (21)
'W H E R E A S Printers, Bookesellers and other Persons have of late frequently taken the Liberty of printing, reprinting and publishing, or causing to be printed, reprinted and published, Books and other Writings, without the Consent of the Authors or Proprietors of such Books and Writings, to their very great Detriment, and too often to the Ruin of them and their Families:' For preventing therefore such Practices for the future, and for the Encouragement of learned Men to compose and write useful Books; May it please your Majesty, that it may be enacted, and be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That from and after the tenth Day ofApril one thousand seven hundred and ten, the Author of any Book or Books already printed, who hath not transferred to any other the Copy or Copies of such Book or Books, Share or Shares thereof, or the Bookseller or Booksellers, Printer or Printers, or other Person or Persons, who hath or have purchased or acquired the Copy or Copies of any Book or Books, in order to print or reprint the same, shall have the sole Right and Liberty of printing such Book and Books for the Term of one and twenty Years, to commence from the said tenth Day ofApril , and no longer; and that the Author of any Book or Books already composed, and not printed and published, or that shall hereafter be composed, and his Assignee or Assigns, shall have the sole Liberty of printing and reprinting such Book and Books for the Term of fourteen Years, to commence from the Day of the first publishing the same, and no longer; and that if any other Bookseller, Printer or other Person whatsoever, from and after the tenth Day of April one thousand seven hundred and ten, within the Timesgranted and limited by this Act as aforesaid, shall print, reprint or import, or cause to be printed, reprinted or imported, any such Book or Books, without the Consent of the Proprietor or Proprietors thereof first had and obtained in Writing, signed in the Presence of two or more credible Witnesses; or knowing the same to be so printed or reprinted, without the Consent of the Proprietors, shall sell, publish or expose to Sale, or cause to be sold, published or exposed to Sale, any such Book or Books, without such Consent first had and obtained as aforesaid: Then such Offender or Offenders shall forfeit such Book or Books, and all and every Sheet or Sheets, being Part of such Book or Books, to the Proprietor or Proprietors of the Copy thereof, who shall forthwith Damask and make Waste Paper of them; and further, That every such Offender or Offenders shall forfeit one Penny for every Sheet which shall be found in his, her or their Custody, either printed or printing, published or exposed to Sale, contrary to the true Intent and Meaning of this Act; the one Moiety thereof to the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, her Heirs and Successors, and the other Moiety thereof to any Person or Persons that shall sue for the same, to be recovered in any of her Majesty's Courts of Record atWestminster , by Action of Debt, Bill, Plaint or Information, in which no Wager of Law, Essoin, Privilege or Protection, or more than one Imparlance shall be allowed.
II Copies of Books to be entred before Publication in the Register Book of the Company of Stationers;
'II. And whereas many Persons may through Ignorance offend against this Act, unless some Provision be made, whereby the Property in every such Book, as is intended by this Act to be secured to the Proprietor or Proprietors thereof, may be ascertained, as likewise the Consent of such Proprietor or Proprietors for the printing or reprinting of such Book or Books may from time to time be known;' Be it therefore further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That nothing in this...
To continue reading
Request your trial