Seven months previously, in the case of Hinton v. Donaldson, the Scots Court of Session had ruled that copyright did not exist in the common law of Scotland, so that Alexander Donaldson (an appellant in Donaldson v. Beckett with his older brother, John) could lawfully publish Thomas Stackhouse's New History of the Holy Bible.
Samuel Beckett | Beckett | Lou Donaldson | Margaret Beckett | Stuart Alexander Donaldson | Sir Edmund Beckett, 4th Baronet | Julia Donaldson | Glenn Donaldson | Clarice Beckett | William à Beckett | Scotty Beckett | Sam Donaldson | Luke Beckett | Harry Beckett | Gordon Donaldson | Walter Donaldson | Stuart Donaldson | Sam Beckett | Justin Beckett | Josh Beckett | Ernest Beckett, 2nd Baron Grimthorpe | Edmund Beckett, 1st Baron Grimthorpe | Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette | Donaldson | Chris Beckett | Beckett Media | William Donaldson | William Beckett (singer) | William Beckett | St Clair Donaldson |
When Donaldson v Beckett reached the House of Lords in 1774 only one Lord, Thomas Lyttelton, spoke in favour of common law copyright.