Copyright Act of 1790

The Copyright Act of 1790 was the first Federal copyright act to be instituted in the United States, though most of the states had passed legislation protecting literary rights in the years immediately following the Revolution. It protected printed materials such as books and maps for a period of 14 years, with an option to renew the extension for another 14 years. Added by this act was the ability of the author to have free rein to print, copy, and distribute the material.

This act only applied to citizens of the United States. Not until the International Copyright Act of 1891 were non-citizens and material printed outside the United States given some protection.