Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Statute of Anne: The Statute of Anne is a law that was created in 1709 to protect book authors' rights. It was the first law that granted copyright protection to book authors. The law also modernized the English bankruptcy system and introduced the discharge of the debtor's existing debts.
The Statute of Anne is a historical law that has two different meanings:
For example, if a person writes a book and publishes it, they have the right to control who can make copies of it. If someone wants to make copies, they need to get permission from the author first. This is because of the Copyright Act of 1709, which was the first law to give authors this right.
Another example is if a person owes a lot of money and cannot pay it back. Before the Statute of Anne, they would be put in prison until they could pay. But after the law was passed, they could have their debts forgiven and start over. This was a big change that helped many people who were struggling with debt.
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