The Statute of Anne (1710) limited copyright terms to 14 years (renewable once for authors) deliberately as an anti-monopoly measure to prevent publishers from exercising perpetual control over culture, establishing that limited terms are not accidental but core to copyright's purpose.

factualpending

Speaker

Lawrence Lessig

Evidence Quote

Parliament therefore limited the term of copyrights, and thereby guaranteed that valuable books would become open to any publisher to publish after a limited time.
Created: 7/13/2026, 4:53:43 PM

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