Editing Statute of Anne (section)

===Text===
[[Image:Statute of anne.jpg|thumb|right|The Statute of Anne]]
Consisting of 11 sections, the Statute of Anne is formally titled "An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by Vesting the Copies of Printed Books in the Authors or Purchasers of Copies, during the Times therein mentioned".{{sfn|Patterson & Joyce|2003|p=917}} The preamble for the statute indicates the purpose of the legislation – to bring order to the book trade – saying: {{blockquote|Whereas Printers, Booksellers, and other Persons, have of late frequently taken the Liberty of Printing, Reprinting, and Publishing, or causing to be Printed, Reprinted, and Published Books, and other Writings, without the Consent of the Authors or Proprietors of such Books and Writings, to their very great Detriment, and too often to the Ruin of them and their Families: For Preventing therefore such Practices for the future, and for the Encouragement of Learned Men to Compose and Write useful Books; May it please Your Majesty, that it may be Enacted&nbsp;... {{sfn|Patterson & Joyce|2003|p=919}}}}
The statute then continued by stating the nature of copyright. The right granted was the right to copy; to have sole control over the printing and reprinting of books, with no provision to benefit the owner of this right after the sale.{{sfn|Patterson & Joyce|2003|p=920}} This right, previously held by the Stationers' Company's members, would automatically be given to the author as soon as it was published, although they had the ability to license these rights to another person. The copyright could be gained through two stages; first, the registration of the book's publication with the company, to prevent unintentional infringement, and second, the deposit of copies of the book at the Stationers' Company, the royal library and various universities. One restriction on copyright was a "cumbersome system" designed to prohibit unreasonably high prices for books, which limited how much authors could charge for copies.{{sfn|Seville|2010|p=827}} There was also a prohibition on importing foreign works, with exceptions made for Latin and Greek classics.{{sfn|Deazley|2004|p=41}}

Once registration had been completed and the deposits were made, the author was granted an exclusive right to control the copying of the book. Penalties for infringing this right were severe, with all infringing copies to be destroyed and large fines to be paid to both the copyright holder and the government; there was only a three-month statute of limitations on bringing a case, however.{{sfn|Patterson & Joyce|2003|p=920}} This exclusive right's length was dependent on when the book had been published. If it was published after 10 April 1710, the length of copyright was 14 years; if published before that date, 21 years.{{sfn|Deazley|2006|p=13}} An author who survived until the copyright expired would be granted an additional 14-year term, and when that ran out, the works would enter the [[public domain]].{{sfn|Patterson & Joyce|2003|p=920}} Copyright under the statute applied to Scotland and England, as well as Ireland when that country joined the union in 1800.{{sfn|Cornish|2010|p=22}}