The Prints Copyright Act, 1777 — 17 Geo. III. C. 57
An Act for more effectually securing the Property of Prints to Inventors and Engravers, by enabling them to sue for and recover Penalties in certain cases.
Recital of Acts 8 G. 2,
and 7 G. 3.
After 24th June, 1777, if any Engraver, &c., shall, within the Time limited by the aforesaid Acts, engrave or etch, &c., any Print, without the Consent of the Proprietor, he shall be liable to Damages, and Double Costs
Whereas an Act of Parliament passed in the Eighth Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Second, intituled, 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: And whereas by an Act of Parliament, passed in the Seventh Year of the Reign of His present Majesty, for amending and rendering more effectual the aforesaid Act, and for other Purposes therein mentioned, it was (among other Things) enacted, that, from and after the First Day of January One thousand seven hundred and sixty-seven, all and every Person or Persons who should engrave, etch, or work in Mezzotinto or Chiaro Oscuro, or cause to be engraved, etched, or worked, any Print taken from any Picture, Drawing, Model, or Sculpture, either ancient or modern, should have, and were thereby declared to have, the Benefit and Protection of the said former Act, and that Act, for the Term thereinafter mentioned, in like Manner as if such Print had been graved or drawn from the Original Design of such Graver, Etcher, or Draughtsman: And whereas the said Acts have not effectually answered the Purposes for which they were intended, and it is necessary, for the Encouragement of Artists, and for securing to them the Property of and in their Works, and for the Advancement and Improvement of the aforesaid Arts, that such further Provisions should be made as are hereinafter mentioned and contained; be it enacted that, from and after the Twenty-fourth Day of June One thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven, if any Engraver, Etcher, Printseller, or other Person, shall, within the Time limited by the aforesaid Acts, or either of them, engrave, etch, or work, or cause or procure to be engraved, etched, or worked, in Mezzotinto or Chiaro Oscuro, or otherwise, or in any other Manner copy in the Whole, or in Part, by varying, adding to, or diminishing from, the main Design, or shall print, reprint, or import for Sale, or cause or procure to be printed,-reprinted, or imported for Sale, or shall publish, sell, or otherwise dispose of, or cause or procure to be published, sold, or otherwise disposed of, any Copy or Copies of any historical Print or Prints, or any Print or Prints of any Portrait, Conversation, Landscape, or Architecture, Map, Chart, or Plan, or any other Print or Prints whatsoever, which hath or have been, or shall be, engraved, etched, drawn, or designed, in any Part of Great Britain, without the express Consent of the Proprietor or Proprietors thereof first had and obtained in Writing, signed by him, her, or them respectively, with his, her, or their own Hand or Hands, in the Presence of and attested by Two or More credible Witnesses, then every such Proprietor or Proprietors shall and may by and in a special Action upon the Case, to be brought against the Person or Persons so offending recover such damages as a Jury on the Trial of such Action, or on the Execution of a Writ of Inquiry thereon, shall give or assess, together with Double Costs of Suit.1674