A Brief History of Copyright

21 July 2010

A Brief History of Copyright

Copyright has become a well known intellectual property right throughout the world. Whilst different countries have different laws the general principals remain relatively similar.

So how has copyright law been shaped and where does it originate from?

It is important to begin by stating that the development of copyright law has not been a simple progression and that there are varying accounts of the same. However what is clear is that cultural and technological developments have steered the path and forced copyright law to grow and change.

The first legal statute relating to copyright was the 1710 Statute of Anne. However the protection of works such as literature did not take place until the 1911 Copyright Act which abolished common law copyright and created a single code and expanded the coverage of copyright protection to include works such as literature, films and sound recordings).

Prior to the Act certain registration requirements were imposed on the copyright owner but these were abolished by the 1911 Act. The Act also reflected the growing problem of infringement and expanded its remit to cover more infringement matters.

The 1911 Act was subsequently replaced by the 1956 Copyright Act. Again this Act moved with the times and with the increase and advance of technology. It included protection for works such as television broadcasts. The Act was changed/ amended on a number of occasions after it was implemented with the advance of computer technology and the expansion of the television network framework.

In 1988 The a new Act was implemented which widened further the rights held by copyright owners. The Copyright Tribunal was implemented via the Act and new rights relating to performance and moral rights were introduced (amongst others).

Since its implementation the Act has been amended many times partly due to the rise of the European Community and the regulations that the UK must adhere to.

Jody Tsigarides is a Solicitor who specialises in IP law.

jody.tsigarides@lawdit.co.uk