Literary Copyright Reform in Early Victorian England: The Framing of the 1842 Copyright Act (Cambridge Studies in English Legal History)

Talfourd's first Copyright Bill was presented in 1837, and the public and Parliamentary controversy it provoked is reflected in contemporary pamphlets, correspondence, and hundreds of petitions presented to Parliament, as well as in the changing aims of the bill itself. In addition to the expected debate as to the nature of literary property and the economic effects on the publishing trade, discussion of copyright law raised broader questions; the relative values of literature and science, the importance of public education, the dangers of monopolies, and the nature of public interest. In a period of social, political and technological upheaval, these were incendiary matters. Talfourd audaciously demanded not only a considerable extension of copyright term, but also international protection. This book explores and sets in context the making of the Copyright Act 1842, using it to illuminate enduring issues and difficulties in the legal concept of intellectual property. 1. Introduction -- The 1842 Act -- Passage And Position -- Copyright -- Its Nature And History -- Talfourd And His Aims -- Conflicting Rationales -- Alternatives To Copyright -- A Profession Of Authorship? -- 2. Petitions And Copyright -- Petitioning -- Parliamentary History And Background -- Petitions -- Forms And Formalities -- Petitions -- Volume And Subjects -- 3. Critics In Parliament -- The Radical Nexus -- Political Cross-currents -- Brougham -- Macaulay -- 4. Critics In The Book Trade I: Print Workers And Their Allies -- Printers -- The Dispute Spreads -- Journeymen 1839-40 -- The Process Of Diffusion -- 5. Critics In The Book Trade Ii: Publishing And Publishers -- The Book Trade And Authors -- Cheap Publications -- The Society For The Diffusion Of Useful Knowledge -- Cheap Publications -- The Book Trade -- Cooperation And Organisation -- The Campaign Against The Bills -- 6. The Campaign In The Daily Press -- London Dailies -- Evening Papers -- Conclusion -- 7. Authors And The Beginnings Of Authors' Organisations -- Southey -- Wordsworth -- Campaign Manager -- 8. The Making Of The Case For The Bill -- Petitions -- Those In Favour -- The Argument In The Periodicals -- 9. Conclusion -- App. I. Chronology Of The Bills -- App. Ii. Successive Versions Of The Bill -- App. Iii. The Copyright Act 1842. Catherine Seville. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 277-291) And Index.

Talfourd's Copyright Bill was first presented in 1837, and the public and Parliamentary controversy it provoked is reflected in contemporary pamphlets, correspondence, and hundreds of petitions presented to Parliament, as well as in the changing aims of the Bill. This book explores and sets in context the making of the Copyright Act of 1842, using it to illuminate enduring issues and difficulties in the legal concept of intellectual property. A unique feature for legal historians is Appendix II in which Dr. Seville traces the progress of eleven versions of the Bill.

This text was the first study of the bills leading to the Copyright Act 1842, during which Talfourd sought to reform copyright law. Drawing on a wide range of contemporary sources, Seville explores the controversy provoked by the act, which led to Talfourd having to considerably modify his bill.