__NOTOC__ The Copyright Act of 1831 was the first major revision to the U.S. Copyright Law. The bill is largely the result of lobbying efforts by American lexicographer

Noah Webster Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible ( Book of Genesis, chapters 5� ...

. The key changes in the Act included: * Extension of the original copyright term from 14 years to 28 years, with an option to renew the copyright for another 14 years * Addition of musical compositions to the list of statutorily protected works (though this protection only extended to reproductions of compositions in printed form; the public performance right was not recognized until later) * Extension of the

statute of limitations A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In ...

on copyright actions from one year to two * Changes in copyright formality requirements Noah Webster The Schoolmaster of the Republic

Amendments

The law was amended a number of times for a wide variety of purposes. * In 1834, Congress allowed a copyright to be transferred to someone else, a record of which had to be made within 60 days. * In 1846, Congress established the requirement of depositing copies of the work at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

and the Smithsonian, in addition to the copies already required to be deposited with the Secretary of State. * In 1855, Congress provided free postage for sending works to be deposited. * In 1856, copyright was expanded to the right to restrict public performance of a work. * In 1859, the requirement of depositing copies of the work at the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian was repealed. * In 1861, copyright cases were allowed to be heard by the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

, regardless of the amount of money at stake. * In 1865, Congress made photographs copyrightable. The constitutionality of this amendment was challenged, but upheld by the Supreme Court in ''

Burrow-Giles Lithographic Co. v. Sarony ''Burrow-Giles Lithographic Co. v. Sarony'', List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 111, 111 United States Reports, U.S. 53 (1884), was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States that upheld the power of United States Cong ...

''. * Also in 1865, the practice of depositing a copy with the Library of Congress was reestablished, requiring deposit within one month. * In 1867, the Librarian of Congress Ainsworth Spofford lobbied for a penalty of $25 for books that failed to be deposited within one month.

References

External links

of the Copyright Act of 1831, as passed {{USCopyrightActs United States federal copyright legislation 1831 in American law

Amendments

See also

References

Further reading

External links