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So illustrious a source as the Fred von Lohmann at the Electronic Frontier Foundation recommends the new book by Adrian Johns:
I’ve just finished Adrian Johns’ 2009 book, Piracy: The Intellectual Property Wars from Gutenberg to Gates, a 500+ page magnum opus stretching from the 1600s to the present. Johns is a noted University of Chicago historian, and his book is a fascinating and essential read for anyone interested in the history of the term “intellectual property” and development of the modern copyright and patent systems.
Of particular interest:
- The story of the rise of the term “intellectual property” in the 1870s and its connection to patents.
- How the United States once refusing to recognize the copyrights of foreign (mainly British) authors, and gained a reputation as a “pirate nation.”
- Early anti-piracy efforts in 1903, aimed at sheet music reprinters.
Sounds like a good read!
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- Historian warns against copyright-fight heavy hitting (go.theregister.com)
- History of piracy, reviewed by EFF’s senior copyright lawyer (boingboing.net)
I'm currently a graduate student of the history of law and technology at the University of California, San Diego. I also provide law and technology consulting services.
Additionally, I'm a non-practicing lawyer and former developer/sysadmin at a biotech non-profit. For more about me and my work, see 
