January 1, 1872
A trade weekly founded in 1872 still assigns the book trade's numbers
Publishers Weekly's and Bowker's own histories date the 1872 founding and Bowker's 1968 role as the U.S. ISBN registration agency.
The ledger archive
20 entries shown, each prepared after the events it records and published with its sources attached.
March 22, 2011
A judge found the Google Books settlement went too far
Judge Chin's 2011 opinion details why a proposed deal exceeded what a class action could resolve, apart from the later fair-use ruling.
January 1, 2024
The earliest Mickey Mouse entered the public domain, not the brand
Duke's Public Domain Day 2024 page tracks which 1928 works, including Steamboat Willie, entered the public domain and what trademark still restricts.
July 25, 2019
A library ebook embargo lasted less than a year
ALA's own statements record the embargo's terms in 2019 and Macmillan's reversal announcement in 2020.
From approved text to a usable edition
A sequence of review decisions that makes research, editorial approval, files, metadata, and corrections visible before release.
September 6, 1952
A 1952 treaty made a copyright notice do formal legal work
UNESCO's treaty text and Copyright Office records date the Universal Copyright Convention and the notice it required in place of registration.
Read the publishing package as a contract
A pre-payment method for comparing editorial, production, distribution, and promotional services without mistaking a package for a publishing outcome.
Four primary readings for four AI questions.
Retailer disclosure, copyrightability, certification and evidence about detection belong on different shelves. This short reference route helps a writer consult the right source before answering.
January 1, 1917
Pulitzer's 1904 will handed future changes to a board, not a judge
The Pulitzer board's own history dates the 1917 inception and the will's clause letting the board revise categories over time.
September 27, 2023
An author-income survey needs its population.
The Authors Guild’s 2023 survey concerns earnings in 2022. Its medians are useful only when the group being measured stays attached to the number.
February 16, 2022
Maryland's library ebook law fell to a federal preemption ruling
A federal court found Maryland's library ebook licensing mandate preempted by the Copyright Act before it ever took effect.
January 1, 1926
A mountain campus conference paired private critique with public talks
Middlebury's own pages date Bread Loaf to 1926 and describe a model of small workshops alongside public lectures.
June 7, 2019
Elliott completed its Barnes and Noble acquisition on schedule
Barnes & Noble's own SEC filings record the deal price, terms, and the August 2019 completion date.
January 1, 1995
UNESCO tied a world book day to three authors' shared death date
UNESCO's own record ties the 23 April date to Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and a 1995 Paris designation.
March 1, 1836
A serial novel's biggest character arrived after sales lagged
British Library records show Pickwick Papers sold in monthly parts and became a hit only after Sam Weller's arrival.
September 20, 2023
Seventeen novelists sued an AI company as a proposed class
The Authors Guild's own statement and the case docket record the claims filed against OpenAI in 2023.
October 16, 2015
An appeals court called Google's book scanning a search tool
The Second Circuit's opinion and the Copyright Office's own summary state why Google's scanning and snippet display were ruled fair use.
October 19, 1976
A 1976 law moved fair use into the statute for the first time
Copyright Office and House Report records date the 1976 Act's signing, its 1978 effective date, and Section 107's first statutory codification of fair use.
January 31, 2008
A tender offer worth $300 million took Audible private
Amazon and Audible's own 2008 filings disclose the acquisition's price, structure and expected closing.
August 18, 2023
A district court denied copyright to a machine-made image
Thaler v. Perlmutter held human authorship is a bedrock requirement of copyright; the ruling was later appealed.