The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Statute of Anne, by Anno Octavo

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Title: The Statute of Anne

Author: Anno Octavo

Release Date: August 8, 2010 [eBook #33333]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STATUTE OF ANNE***

Produced by Michael S. Hart.

The Statute of Anne

CONTENTS

1. Preparer's notes 2. A Modern Formatted Statute of Anne 3. A Transcription from the Original Statute of Anne

Statute of Anne: Preparer's Notes

Created from various public domain versions.

Repetition of last words on pages eliminated, Latin intro and extro translated into English. End of line hyphenations removed for searching. Typo of "peny" for "penny" has been corrected, with the elimination of the accompanying sic. Also "seasonable" replaced by "reasonable" with the removal of that sic, as well. "Queens" is replaced with "queen's", and "majesties" would become "majesty's", "entred" becomes "entered" and these typos were often in multiple places.

"Vice-Chancellors" and "Vice Chancellors" both appeared so I chose "Vice Chancellors" just to make searches more simple.

I have not changed any of the apparently quite random capitalizations [random in comparisons, I should say to German, etc.], nor changed any of the more different spellings, as inhaunced.

I would like to comment just how obvious it is that the rights of the authors was an "add on" to this document, taking place only on a sixth sheet containing only two small paragraphs, as this makes it even more obvious just how every right was originally for "The Stationers," who are now descended as by The World Intellectual Property Organization through various means.

This law was proposed and defeated 250 years— from its first draft by The Stationers just as The Gutenberg Press got going to this period.

All monarchs, and Oliver Cromwell, refused it, on grounds it gave too much to The Stationers, and left too little to the public, as per:

Henry VI 1 Sep 1422 4 Mar 1461
Edward IV 4 Mar 1461 9 Apr 1483
[Henry VI - restored 9 Oct 1470 to c. Apr 1471]
Edward V 9 Apr 1483 25 Jun 1483
Richard III 26 Jun 1483 22 Aug 1485
Henry VII 22 Aug 1485 21 Apr 1509
Henry VIII 22 Apr 1509 28 Jan 1547
Edward VI 28 Jan 1547 6 Jul 1553
Mary 6 Jul 1553 24 Jul 1554
Philip & Mary 25 Jul 1554 17 Nov 1558
Elizabeth I 17 Nov 1558 24 Mar 1603
James I 24 Mar 1603 27 Mar 1625
Charles I 27 Mar 1625 30 Jan 1649
Commonwealth 30 Jan 1649 29 May 1660
Charles II [30 Jan 1649] 6 Feb 1685
James II 6 Feb 1685 11 Dec 1688
William & Mary 13 Feb 1689 8 Mar 1702
                 [Mary died 27 Dec 1694]
William III 27 Dec 1694 8 Mar 1702
Anne 8 Mar 1702 1 Aug 1714

Please note that this 250 year span included reigns from the son of Henry V of Shakespearian fame and a greater Shakespearian epic of Richard III, to those six wives of Henry VIII, Mary Queen of Scots, and a host of the most turbulent reigns of UK history and in all this time not one of these rulers would give The Stationers such great power that has now passed down, not only unchecked, but greatly enhanced over the next 300 years. The average copyright moved to about 100 years in length in that time from 15 year average original terms [nearly none were renewed].

My own words are mine alone, though I appreciate it when people offer corrections, advice, etc., though I don't always take it. However, I do always offer to publish their own version along with mine.

Michael S. Hart
Founder
Project Gutenberg,
Inventor of eBooks

A Modern Formatted Statute of Anne

The Statute of Anne

Page 1

In The Eighth Year Of The Reign Of Queen Anne.

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.

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: 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 Queens 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 of April, 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 of April, 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

page 2

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 times Granted 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