Global Copyright: Three Hundred Years Since the Statute of Anne, from 1709 to Cyberspace, edited by Professors Lionel Bently (member of IP Osgoode's International Advisory Council), Uma Suthersanen and Paul Torremans, celebrates the tri-centenary of modern copyright, which began with the enactment of the Statute of Anne by the British Parliament in 1709, and was soon followed by other copyright legislation abroad. 

Global Copyright explores the history of copyright law since the Statute of Anne.  The Statute of Anne is traditionally claimed to be the world’s first copyright statute, and is thus viewed as the origin of a system of national laws that today exists in virtually all countries of the world.  However, this book illustrates that while there is some truth in this claim, it is also important to treat it with caution.  Lionel Bently is the Herchel Smith Professor of Intellectual Property Law, University of Cambridge, UK; Uma Suthersanen is the Professor in International Intellectual Property Law, Queen Mary, University of London, UK; and Paul Torremans is the Professor of Intellectual Property Law, School of Law, University of Nottingham, UK.