| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An act for the encouragement of the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints, by vesting the properties thereof in the inventors and engravers, during the time therein mentioned. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 8 Geo. 2. c. 13 |
| Territorial extent | Great Britain |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 15 May 1735 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by | |
| Repealed by | Copyright Act 1911 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The Engraving Copyright Act 1734[1] or Engravers' Copyright Act (8 Geo. 2. c. 13) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain first read on 4 March 1734/35 and eventually passed on 25 June 1735 to give protections to producers of engravings. It is also called Hogarth's Act after William Hogarth, who prompted the law together with some fellow engravers. Historian Mark Rose notes, "The Act protected only those engravings that involved original designs and thus, implicitly, made a distinction between artists and mere craftsmen. Soon, however, Parliament was persuaded to extend protection to all engravings."[2]
This Act was one of the Copyright Acts 1734 to 1888.[3]
This Act was repealed by sections 36 and 37(2) of, and schedule 2 to, the Copyright Act 1911 (1 & 2 Geo. 5. c. 46)[4] which replaced and consolidated existing copyright legislation.
- ^ a b The citation of this Act by this short title was authorised by the Short Titles Act 1896, section 1 and the first schedule. Due to the repeal of those provisions it is now authorised by section 19(2) of the Interpretation Act 1978.
- ^ Rose, Mark (January–March 2005). "Technology and Copyright in 1735: The Engraver's Act". The Information Society. 21 (1): 63–66. doi:10.1080/01972240590895928. S2CID 9859369.
- ^ The Short Titles Act 1896, section 2(1) and Schedule 2
- ^ "Copyright Act 1911". Retrieved 4 April 2023.