Even in the 21st century, the Statute of Anne is “frequently invoked by modern judges and academics as embodying the utilitarian underpinnings of copyright law”. Despite “widely recognised flaws”, the Act has become a model copyright statute, both within the United Kingdom and internationally. [1]
The first full-fledged copyright statute in the world entered into force on 10 April 1710 in Great Britain. The Statute of Anne, also known as the Copyright Act 1710, was a law passed by the British Parliament.
For the first time in English law, ownership now belonged to the author of a work, rather than the printers and publishers. It gave authors the exclusive right to print and sell their works for a term of 14 years, with the possibility of renewing that term for another 14 years if they were still alive at the end of the first term. The law also granted 21 years of protection for any book already in print.
Named after Queen Anne, the Statute of Anne, begins “Whereas Printers, Booksellers, 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”.
The law also created the concept of copyright registration, requiring authors to register their works with a government office in order to receive copyright protection. Additionally, the statute provided for penalties for copyright infringement, allowing authors to sue infringers for damages.
The Statute of Anne was significant because it marked the first time that authors were recognized as having a legal right to their own creative works. It also established the principle of limited-term copyright protection, which has become a standard feature of copyright law around the world.