Hinton v Donaldson (1773, 5 Brn 508) was a case by which the Court of Session rejected the claim that copyrightinScots law existed beyond the limited term which had been introduced under the Statute of Anne.[1][2]: 111–122
The case had been brought by a London bookseller, John Hinton, concerning the reprinting of a work by Thomas Stackhouse on which Hinton claimed rights. The case was brought against the booksellers Alexander Donaldson, John Wood and James Meurose. James Boswell, who was a friend of Donaldson, led for the defenders.[3][4]
The judges found (with Lord Monboddo dissenting) that an author had no property rights in a book, but only the temporary rights which had been granted under the Statute.[5]
The case influenced the subsequent House of Lords ruling in Donaldson v Beckett (1774).[2]: 121
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