Hello everyone,

I'm looking for a reference that speaks about the fact that English-produced pottery designs were not subject to copyright prior to, what I seem to remember, the Copyright of Design Act of 1842. I honestly don't know much about the topic, but it's obviously a great way to explain why vessels from many manufacturers in certain periods can have the exact same (or very, very similar) design. I think Willow pattern is the immediate example that comes to mind. I'm sure this topic has been covered before, so any help would be most appreciated!

- Matt Munro