Copyright Law and the Public Interest in the Nineteenth Century - by Isabella Alexander (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book examines public interest and the way that concepts of it and rhetoric surrounding it have been involved in shaping the law of copyright.

Book Synopsis

Copyright law is commonly described as carrying out a balancing act between the interests of authors or owners and those of the public. While much academic work, both historical and contemporary, has been done on the authorship side of the equation, 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 literary copyright. Historical examinations of copyright have focused on the 18th century, but this book's main concern is with the period after 1774 in Britain. The 19th century was the period during which the boundaries of copyright, as it is known 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. The history traced has considerable relevance to debates over the scope of copyright law in the present day. It emphasizes the contingency and complexity of copyright law's development and current shape, as well as encouraging a critical approach to the justifications for copyright law.

Review Quotes

"As the only book that focuses directly on the public interest in its historical context, Alexander's monograph is a welcome addition to the body of scholarship on the history of copyright law. This is especially so given that the book is very well researched and executed.

...her interpretations and reasoning are well supported. As a consequence, serious students and scholars of the history of copyright law - whether specialists or not - must now add Alexander's book to their reading list. I learned much from it." --The IP Law Book Review, Volume 2, Number 1

"The book, in addition to being an essential read for the student of copyright history, also provides much food for thought to those interested in contemporary intellectual property debates." --Law and History Review, Volume 29/2

"Alexander's work sets out to historicise and problematise the concept of the public interest within copyright discourse, while at the same time championing its continued relevance for contemporary policy and debate. In both respects Copyright Law and Public Interest in the Nineteenth Century can be considered a success." --The Modern Law Review, 74 (3)

"Alexander's book is descriptive, narrative legal history at its most readable and enjoyable...[it] may both be read in one sitting and employed for detailed reference later by legal historians, lawyers and students.

Regardless of one's perspective... this book will not disappoint. The original and secondary source materials Alexander draws upon, as well as her careful and yet entertaining distillation of meanings, indisputably makes her work a really worthwhile read. Indeed, this book could well become required reading for future counsel appearing before Australia's High Court, or elsewhere in the common law world." --Copyright Reporter, Volume 28, Number 4

"This book is very interesting and well-researched in what it is: an insight into the notion of public interest in British copyright law of the nineteenth century.

...this book makes a significant contribution in the area." --The Law and Poltics Book Review

"The book is, first and foremost, a much needed comprehensive survey of the development of British copyright law from the beginning of the nineteenth century until the 1911 Imperial Copyright Act.
The survey aspect of the book is an extremely valuable contribution in its own right. Some of the nineteenth-century landmarks of British copyright law were covered in other works before, but none of those other works presented a systematic and comprehensive account of the kind offered by Alexander." --Texas Law Review, Volume 89

"The history of copyright law is now well-trodden ground, particularly over the last decade or so, with notable works...yet despite these contributions, Isabella Alexander is able to provide a new, exciting, and original work.

Copyright Law and the Public Interest in the Nineteenth Century is not only an important contribution to scholarship in copyright history, but also in the appreciation of the role of a so-called public interest in that history. It is a book of which all copyright scholars should take note." --Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice, Volume 5

About the Author

Dr Isabella Alexander is a Newton Trust Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge, Beachcroft LLP Fellow in Law and Director of Studies in Law at Robinson College, Cambridge.