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2 years ago in History , Legal History By Dev Raj Acharya
What was the process and significance of licensing a printed book in London during the late 17th century?
My research involves a pamphlet from the 1690s. The Licensing Act lapsed in 1695, ending pre-publication censorship. So, what formal or informal systems of registration, copyright, or guild control by the Stationers' Company still governed the "licensing" of a book's right to be printed in this transitional period?
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By Veena Answered 1 year ago
After the Licensing Act lapsed, the state-mandated pre-publication licensing system ended. However, the Stationers' Company's internal register remained crucial. To secure guild protection against piracy, a printer or bookseller would still "license" a book by entering its title in the Company's register, establishing a de facto copyright claim under guild bylaws. This was not state censorship but a commercial mechanism. Concurrently, the landmark Conger v. Tonson case (1710) was gestating, which would help shift copyright from a guild privilege to a common-law author's right. So, licensing became less about state approval and more about securing economic interest within the trade.
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