On March 19, 1834, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Wheaton v. Peters that an author has perpetual rights in unpublished works, but after publication, rights are limited by statutory provisions imposed by Congress. This landmark case was the first copyright decision by the Supremes, and laid the groundwork for modern U.S. copyright jurisprudence. Reposted from the History of Copyright Timeline at the U.S. Copyright Office.

Public domain; 19th century illustration of Henry Wheaton.