History of theatrical licensing

Samuel French started it in the late 1800s. From Wikipedia:

In the late 1800s, Samuel French began publishing contemporary American dramas, and helped the amateur theatre movement by making more plays available to Little Theatres – a rewarding concept that had never before been done in the industry. By the turn of the century, amateur interest in acting had increased enormously. As the quality and quantity of available plays improved, so the number of amateur groups increased. The seeds of the Little Theatre movement were sown. By the time of the World War I, such groups along with the High School societies were the firm’s best customers. Although father and son had long since died, the New York and London entities continued under the capable hands of their managing partners.