The Statute of Anne gave authors their first copyright
The 1710 Statute of Anne revolutionized publishing by granting authors copyright, shifting power from guilds to creators and laying the foundation for modern intellectual property laws worldwide.
In 1710, Britain's Statute of Anne became the world's first law to specifically protect authors' rights. Before this, a guild monopolized publishing, leaving creators with little control or profit from their work. This groundbreaking act shifted power from printers to authors, granting them an initial 14-year copyright, renewable once.
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