Some Historical Matter Concerning Literary Property

Authors

Edward S. Rogers

Abstract

The notion of property in published literary works was of gradual development. One may search in vain through classical literature and Roman law to find anything in the nature of copyright. Hearty condemnation of plagiarism is to be found. Stealing another man's labor and passing it off as one's own was a literary crime, but neither that nor open piracy seems to have been a matter of which the law took cognizance. Before the invention of printing, making manuscript copies of a book was such a laborious and time-consuming task that an ancient author must have felt sufficiently repaid if anyone cared enough for his work to undertake the endless task of copying it by hand, and was undoubtedly glad to have the larger audience that it gave him. In fact, the mere possession of a manuscript was regarded as including the right to make copies indefinitely.

Recommended Citation

Edward S. Rogers, Some Historical Matter Concerning Literary Property, 7 Mich. L. Rev. 101 (1908).
Available at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mlr/vol7/iss2/1