蜜芽传媒

In 1710, the British Parliament passed a piece of legislation entitled An Act for the Encouragement of Learning. It became known as the Statute of Anne, and it was the world鈥檚 first copyright law.

Copyright protects and regulates a piece of work - whether that's a book, a painting, a piece of music or a software programme. It emerged as a way of balancing the interests of authors, artists, publishers, and the public in the context of evolving technologies and the rise of mechanical reproduction.

Writers and artists such as Alexander Pope, William Hogarth and Charles Dickens became involved in heated debates about ownership and originality that continue to this day - especially with the emergence of artificial intelligence.

With:

Lionel Bently, Herchel Smith Professor of Intellectual Property Law at the University of Cambridge

Will Slauter, Professor of History at Sorbonne University, Paris

Katie McGettigan, Senior Lecturer in American Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Producer: Eliane Glaser