The Piracy Act 1698 transferred many piracy trials from England to colonial vice-admiralty courts.
Passed during the reign of William III, the act was formally titled an Act for the more effectual suppression of piracy. Before this legislation, colonial authorities often faced legal and logistical difficulties when trying pirates in England or under older procedures. The new law helped colonial governments prosecute piracy closer to where crimes occurred.
The act authorized vice-admiralty courts in overseas colonies and reduced the need to send suspects across the Atlantic. It also strengthened the legal machinery used by Britain to suppress piracy after the end of major European wars. This mattered especially in the Caribbean and along North American trade routes.
The law did not itself create piracy, and it did not mean every pirate received the same legal treatment. It was one of several measures that made enforcement more practical. Later legislation and royal commissions continued to shape anti-piracy trials.