Description |
xxiv, 320 pages ; 25 cm |
Contents |
1. Introduction : copyright, history, the public -- 2. Copyright before the nineteenth century -- 3. Copyright, the book trade and the reading public -- 4. Extension and expansion -- 5. Examination and internationalisation -- 6. Infringement at common law : drawing copyright's boundaries -- 7. The making of the 1911 Imperial Copyright Act -- 8. Conclusion |
Summary |
"This book examines the notion of public interest, and the way that concepts of public interest and the rhetoric surrounding it have been involved in shaping the law of copyright. While many histories of copyright focus on the eighteenth century, this book's main concern is with the period after 1774. The nineteenth century was the period during which the boundaries of copyright, as we know it today, were drawn and ideas of 'public interest' were integral to this process, but in different, and complex, ways. The book engages with this complexity by moving beyond debates about the appropriate duration of copyright, and considers the development of other important features of copyright law, such as the requirement of legal deposit, the principle that some works will not be subject to copyright protection on the grounds of public interest, and the law of infringement. While the focus of the book is on literary copyright, it also traces the expansion of copyright to cover new subject matters, such as music, dramatic works and lectures. The book concludes by examining the making of the 1911 Imperial Copyright Act - the statute upon which the law of copyright in Britain, and in all former British colonies, is based." --book jacket |
Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index |
Subject |
Copyright -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century.
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Public interest -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century.
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ISBN |
9781841137865 (hbk.) |
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1841137863 (hbk.) |
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